Blue-Bodied Roller, Plate 13 from Birds of Western Africa

About this artwork

Research in Progress

Art Historical Context

William Home Lizars’s “Blue-Bodied Roller, Plate 13 from Birds of Western Africa” captures the vivid plumage of this striking West African species through the precise language of printmaking. Created in 1837 by the Scottish engraver and natural-history illustrator, the work belongs to a period when European artists and scientists collaborated to document the world’s birds for both scholarly study and public wonder. Lizars, who had earlier engraved plates for John James Audubon, brought the same meticulous attention to African species, translating field observations into widely circulated images. As a print, the plate allowed knowledge of exotic birds to reach audiences far beyond museum collections, fueling both scientific classification and popular fascination with Africa’s natural history during the age of exploration. Its presence in the Smithsonian American Art Museum today underscores the enduring value of these early scientific illustrations as both art and record. Though the exact printing technique remains under study, the image continues to invite viewers to appreciate the intersection of artistry, science, and discovery that shaped 19th-century understanding of the natural world.