Sir William Jardine & W.H. Lizars - Original Birds from The Naturalist's Library

Published 1833-1845 by Sir William Jardine and engraved by W.H. Lizars, “The Naturalist’s Library”  became immensely popular when introduced in the 19th century.   Forty volumes were produced containing over 1300 hand-colored plates studying four subjects, including: ornithology, mammalia, entomology, and ichthyology.  In this section of our website, we present the bird prints (plates) that are currently available.

By using steel instead of copper plates, Lizars was able to achieve the finest detail and most accurate depiction of animals to date.   These diminutive works are nonetheless immense in their artistry and contribution to the world of scientific illustration.  Jardine’s monumental work continues to be well collected.