H.E. Dresser | A history of the birds of Europe,1871-96, 9 text vols. and 8 plate vols., the author's own unique copy

Books from a Private Collection

Henry Eeles Dresser

A history of the birds of Europe, including all the species inhabiting the Western Palaearctic Region. London: published by the Author, 1871-1896

17 volumes (9 vols. text including index and supplement; 8 vols. plates), large 4to (320 x 250mm.), list of subscribers, additional wood engraved titles, containing the 721 hand-coloured lithographic plates by J.G. Keulemans, Joseph Wolf, Archibald Thorburn, and Edward Neale, most plates also in uncoloured states (with or without letters, sometimes in more than one version), some plates in additional coloured state to incorporate alterations, some with manuscript annotations, e.g. plate 309: "this plate was altered, the stump being erased and replaced by a rock", 466: note to Joseph Wolf, "Mr. Dresser thinks this plate will not do...", plate 707 with final state as corrected by Lord Lilford; plate 485 with 2pp. original pencil drawings of claws tipped in, 8 additional coloured plates and 2 uncoloured plates, manuscript note in Dresser's hand on preliminary blank of index volume, contemporary red morocco gilt, top edges gilt, marbled endpapers, some spotting, extremities slightly rubbed

THE AUTHOR'S OWN UNIQUE COPY, WITH HIS (SIGNED) BOOKPLATE, PLATES IN VARIOUS STATES, AND AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT NOTES.

An historically important and innovative work in the evolution of hand-coloured ornithological books. Prior to this book, artists would paint watercolour portraits of the subject, from which a lithographer would work to create a ‘stone’ to print the portrait as a black and white line drawing. The line drawing went back to the artist for their hand-colouring to become the ‘colour master plate’. Thereafter, master colourists would create 1^st generation plates from the ‘colour master plate’ which would then be used by tiers of colourists to creating 2^nd and even 3^rd generation colour plates from volume printed black and white lithographic prints for eventual inclusion in the published work. 

Dresser says in his manuscript note that he only had 34 birds reproduced in this watercolour/stone/re-colour way for the Birds of Europe. 

Dresser may have been among the first (if not the first) to have innovatively edged the illustrative process one step further forward. In his manuscript note in the Index, Dresser says “the plates, which are bound separately are the pattern plates, coloured specially by the artist, as I had the illustrations drawn direct on stone, and a proof coloured which thus forms the original of each one”. Having had Keulemens, et al., draw the remaining 687 illustrations for Birds of Europe onto stone, there are no original watercolours of which these line drawings are copies – the original was the stone. In a most real sense, apart from having all the importance of being Dresser’s personal copy, given that the artists coloured these ‘patterns’ this book comprises 687 original illustrations directly from the hands of Keulemens, Wolfe, Neal, Thorburn, etc.

ALL THE PLATES IN THIS COPY ARE THE "COLOUR MASTER PLATES" HAND COLOURED BY THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES, THE MAJORITY BY J.G. KEULEMANS

PROVENANCE:

Henry Eeles Dresser, bookplate, with his signature, to index volume

LITERATURE:

Anker 120; Fine Bird Books (1990) p. 92; Mullens and Swann p. 179; Nissen IVB 267; Wood p. 324; Zimmer p. 177