The Great Auk

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The publisher of more than 3,000 images of birds, John Gould gained a place in history alongside John James Audubon. Between 1830 and his death in 1881, Gould acquired birds from around the world, including Asia, Australia, Great Britain, the Himalayas, and New Guinea, sharing his artistry with natural history voyeurs. In addition, he produced species-specific works on hummingbirds, toucans, and trogons. Gould generally prepared rough sketches of the specimens he had collected with extensive annotations to be transferred to lithographic stone by a series of artists, including Edward Lear and Gould's wife Elizabeth. The majority of plates are accompanied by leaves with narrative letterpress by N. A. Vigors.

The Great Auk displayed here is included in Birds of Great Britain. Gould acknowledges that, “with the Dodo and Solitaire, it must be looked upon as a bird of the past.” He suggests that more information exists about the loss of this species than any other at that point in history to that time. Gould’s detailed account of the number of skeletons and skins preserved around the world leads one to believe that his drawing was based upon museum specimens.

John Gould (1804-1881).
The Birds of Great Britain. Vol. 5. London: Printed by Taylor and Francis, pub. by the author, 1873.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/259171

A version of this text has been digitized and is available through The Internet Archive.

Digitized Version

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This humorous alphabet book includes hand-colored linocut illustrations of various species of birds from around the globe, both extant and extinct. Book artist Elizabeth Rashley’s bold representation of the stylized Great Auk, extinct for over 150 years, may be contrasted here with John Gould’s hand-colored lithograph on display to the left. Rashley’s whimsical birds are accompanied by "alliterative allegations" by Nyr Indictor.

The Dodo, whose last reported sighting was in the 17th century, is described as a "Dear Departed Dodderer" who "Died out in Disgrace”. This edition of fourteen copies is accompanied by a slip case featuring Rashley’s imagined Dodo bird.

Elizabeth Rashley.
An Avian Alphabet. Church Hanborough, near Witney, Oxford: Inky Parrot Press, 1996.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/00011875244