Island Snipe & Eastern Godwit

This color chromolithograph is from Sir Walter Lawry Buller’s A History of the Birds of New Zealand. This is from the second and enlarged edition which was published in London by Taylor & Francis for the author between 1887 and 1888. The work was limited to 1000 copies.

It is perhaps one of the most underrated 19th century color plate bird works. John Gerard Keulemans illustrated the majority of the plates. Two uncolored plates from the work were done by E. Wilson after P. J. Smit. Buller’s work managed to record many of the country’s native birds before they died out.

The first edition only included 36 plates and the stones were destroyed. Due to demand for the work, Keulemans was hired to completely re-draw the plates as well as illustrate and add the new subjects. Though considered a second edition due to the added plates and Keulemans contribution it should almost be considered a separate publication entirely.

Sir Walter Lawry Buller (1838-1906) was the son of a missionary and born in New Zealand in 1838. He was knighted for his contributions to New Zealand ornithology studies. Buller exchibited “… a confidence unusual in colonial scientists he set out to describe and name new species of birds himself rather than submitting them to the metropolitan authorities. His Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand, written for the Dunedin Exhibition in 1865, established him as a local authority on the subject, and, after he sent copies to influential scientists in Britain and Europe, also brought him to wider attention. In 1871 he used the Essay to obtain the degree of doctor of natural history from the University of Tübingen. By this time he had assembled the materials for a comprehensive work, and obtained leave to go to London to publish it. A History of the Birds of New Zealand

John Gerrard Keulemans (1842-1912) is one of the most respected bird artists whose images were noted for their fine detail. He contributed to some of the best known ornithological works including those of Elliot, Buller, Dresser, and The Ibis. According to Jackson (Bird Illustrators, p. 90) “The great value of Keulemans’ work as an ornithological draughtsman lay in his sureness of design of the plate and his accuracy in portraying the birds themselves. The bird figures were carefully drawn and executed down to the last scales on the feet. The feathering was neatly delineated with the different plumes receiving sympathetic treatment.”