John Latham (1) Birds Known as the "grandfather of Australian ornithology," John Latham (1740-1837) was the first to describe and scientifically name a large number of Australian birds (e.g., emu, white cockatoo, wedge-tailed eagle, lyre-bird and magpie ). He has been called the "grandfather" of Australian ornithology, contributing descriptions of birds in Governor Phillip's 1789 voyage to Botany Bay.  Though he made his living as a physician , he helped found the Linnean Sociey and knew most of the important English naturalists and collectors of the time.  Through these connections, he was able to inspect most of the specimens and drawings of Australian birds that reached England. The hand-colored plates below are cut from Latham's General Synopsis of Birds, London, 1781-1785.  These plates are made of hand-wove paper and are very clean with light age toning. Size:  7.5 x 9.5 inches

John Latham

< [1], 2 >

Animal Artists

Home