REEF HERON

Distribution: Mainland Australia. First described by Gould Birds of Australia Vol VI Pl 61 1848. Keulemans was the most sought-after bird artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a prolific and talented work-oriented illustrator. This image is from the last great bird series, The Birds of Australia by G. Matthew&#8217s and is rarer than John Gould&#8217s work on Australian birds, with only 225 sets done. It was the last series produced to use hand colouring rather than colour printed lithography for the illustrations. Original lithograph. Rare.