Long-tailed Scarlet Lory

This originally hand-colored engraving is from George Edwards’s A Natural History of Uncommon Birds and of some other Rare and Undescribed Animals and Gleanings of Natural History. The work was published in London for the Author between 1745 and 1806.

This was one of the most important natural history works. Many of the birds in the work had not been previously illustrated, with quite a few being foreign species drawn from captivity in London. Linnaeus gave around 350 birds their scientific names based on Edwards’s descriptions.

George Edwards (1694-1773) was an English draughtsman and proficient ornithologist. He worked as the Librarian to the Royal College of Physicians which eventually allowed him to pursue publishing his bird studies and drawings. Edward really drove the prominence of bird and animal illustration in his time and thus became known as ‘The Father of British Ornithology.’