Blue-Headed or Red Bee-Eater, Plate 9 from Birds of Western Africa
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Hamill and Barker
Accession Number
1961-105-167
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
William Home Lizars, a skilled Scottish engraver and publisher active in the early nineteenth century, created this vibrant print in 1837 as Plate 9 for the publication *Birds of Western Africa*. The image captures the striking Blue-Headed or Red Bee-Eater with careful attention to plumage and posture, reflecting the era’s growing interest in natural history illustration. Lizars was renowned for his precise engraving techniques, which allowed scientific details to be reproduced faithfully for scholars and enthusiasts alike. As a hand-colored print, this work exemplifies how printmaking served as an essential medium for sharing knowledge across continents during the 1830s. Such plates helped document species from regions like West Africa at a time when European audiences had limited access to live specimens. Its presence in the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, gifted by Hamill and Barker, underscores the enduring value of these scientific images as both artistic achievements and historical records of ornithological discovery.