UK BIRDWATCHING MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021
The art that brought birds to life
Several bird books did appear in historic times, but two stand out which set the scene for all field guides to follow – A History of British Birds – Land Birds, in 1797, followed by Water Birds in 1804.
Thomas Bewick was the man who brought these books to the British people. Every image in them was done as a ‘wood cut’, with the main part of the picture being the bird, with a small scene (usually its typical habitat) in the background. Printing was a different job in those days, and each bird was carved out on wood from the Box tree. Most of Bewick’s work was so small – 8cm wide to 3.8cm high – that the quality is astonishing. Imagine trying to carve out a bird at that size, and add a landscape behind!
The reaction to the books was astonishing, too. “I have never before seen the character and attitude of the birds so admirably drawn”, wrote one critic. A mother ……
