Damophila amabilis (Blue-breasted Hummingbird)
1801 to 1825
Medium
hand-colored lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 56.3 × 38.7 cm (22 3/16 × 15 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Benjamin Green
Accession Number
1972.77.18
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hand-colored lithograph captures the vibrant beauty of the Blue-breasted Hummingbird, known scientifically as Damophila amabilis. Created by renowned ornithological illustrator John Gould and his collaborator H.C. Richter between 1801 and 1825, the print exemplifies the era’s growing fascination with natural history and exotic species from distant lands. Measuring roughly 22 by 15 inches, the sheet showcases the delicate iridescence of the bird’s plumage through meticulous hand-coloring applied over the lithographic base. Lithography, a relatively new printing technique at the ...
About the Artist
John Gould and H.C. Richter
John Gould (1804–1881) and Henry Constantine Richter (1821–1902) formed one of the most productive and celebrated partnerships in the history of natural history illustration. Gould, an English ornithologist and publisher of extraordinary ambition, built a career on the production of lavishly illustrated folio volumes documenting the birds of Britain, Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. Thou...