Baird - Pair of Bird of Prey Engravings: Owl & Merlin

Baird - Pair of Bird of Prey Engravings: Owl & Merlin
Included in this lot:

Richardson's Merlin
Florida Screech Owl


Description of the work:

This originally hand-colored wood-engraving is from A History of North American Birds. The work was done by Spencer Fullerton Baird, Robert Ridgway, and T. M. Brewer. The work was published in Boston by Little Brown and Company between 1874 and 1884. Robert Ridgway was responsible for the illustrations. "One of the great works on North American ornithology and for many years a standard reference ... the first major work on North American birds to supersede Audubon's Ornithological Biography of 1831-39 as a comprehensive general source." (Ellis Collection)

This was an important work on American birds. “This work contains a description of the birds of North America north of Mexico, including Greenland and Alaska. The focus of this work is an account of the life history of the species, to which is added information about the geographical distribution of the birds and a brief description of the eggs and the individual species. Baird and Ridgway supplied the descriptive parts of the work, while Dr. Brewer dealt with the habits of the birds.” (Anker 25)

Spencer Fullerton Baird (1823-1887) was considered to be one of the foremost American ornithologists of the 19th century. In 1880, Baird appointed Robert Ridgway (1850–1929) as the curator of birds at the Smithsonian. Ridgway also created the American Ornithologists' Union in 1883.

Provenance: Robert Braun Collection


Paper Size: ~ 10 1/2" by 7 1/2"

The work is in very good to excellent condition. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.