Description

PUBLICATION DETAILS: Imprint, lower right under image: Published according to act of Parliament May 1742 Geo Edwards. Bottom center: [Plate] 52. 7” high by 110” wide. Colored etching. Published in Part 1 of George Edwards’, A Natural History of Birds Most of which have not been Figur’d or Describ’d. (London: College of Physicians, 1743). This is part of a series that grew to seven volumes with etchings and descriptions of over 350 birds, quadrupeds, insects, plants, etc., in natural settings. Edwards drew the porcupine from a specimen sent from Hudson Bay by Alexander Light. Light, who was employed by the Hudson Bay Company, was the first collector of specimens from the Hudson Bay.

EDWARDS: George Edwards (1694-1773) was a British naturalist considered by most to be the father of modern British ornithology.  He wrote the text and prepared the etchings for both A Natural History of Birds (1743-1751) in 4 volumes and Gleanings of natural history, exhibiting figures of quadrupeds, birds, insects, plants, etc. (1758-1764) in 3 volumes. He is most famous for his colored etchings of birds. In a few cases, he depicted other animals. None of the species were native to the British Isles. The etchings were all drawn by Edwards. He had mastered etching with the assistance of British natural history artist Mark Catesby. Edwards numbered the plates consecutively through the seven volumes. When Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition in 1758, he listed a binomial name for every plant and animal. For many of the birds he cited the description and illustration in Edward s’ A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Later, when Linnaeus updated this Systema Naturae for the 12th edition in 1766, he cited Edward‘s Gleanings of Natural History. (Source: Wikipedia).

CONDITION: Faint spot above Mrs. Porcupine’s tail. Very good condition.