John Gould was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, Henry Constantine Richter, Joseph Wolf and William Matthew Hart. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Gould's work is referenced in Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species.
John Gould
Calliope Tschebaiswi Prjer (Thrush Family) by John Gould
A studio photograph (c. 1860)
The Zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle : under the command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the years 1832 to 1836, edited and superintended by Charles Darwin. [Album view] Pl. no. 7, Pyrocephalus nanus held by the State Library of New South Wales digital reference number a1417005h
Elizabeth Gould (illustrator)
Elizabeth Gould,, was a British artist and illustrator at the forefront of the natural history movement. Elizabeth traveled and worked alongside her husband, naturalist and author John Gould. She produced illustrations and lithographs for ornithological works, including plates in Darwin's The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle and the Goulds' seminal work The Birds of Australia. In total, Elizabeth is accredited to at least 650 works.
Elizabeth Gould (illustrator)
An example of the highly precise coloring and sheen in Elizabeth's use of lithography
Striated Acanthiza (Acanthiza lineata) illustrated by Elizabeth Gould for John Gould's Birds of Australia.
An example of a lithograph with attribution shared between Elizabeth and John Gould
