Elizabeth Gould, née Coxen (1804—1841), 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
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...
. 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.
Life and artistic career
Elizabeth was born on 18 July 1804 in
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the district of Thanet District, Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to t ...
, England to a military family. Little is known of her early life, however it is likely that Elizabeth Elizabeth likely underwent training in drawing and botany from a young age. In
Victorian England
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
, botany and natural history were part of the education of girls in middle-class English families. As
Ann Moyal
Ann Veronica Helen Moyal AM FRSN FAHA (née Hurley, formerly Cousins and Mozley; 23 February 1926 – 21 July 2019) was an Australian historian known for her work in the history of science. She held academic positions at the Australian Natio ...
stated, “Cultivated women drew, walked, observed, collected specimens, arranged and painted." After this, at twenty-two, Elizabeth was employed as a governess, and lived in James Street, London. It is known that She met John Gould through her brother,
Charles Coxen
Charles Coxen (20 April 1809 – 17 May 1876) was a naturalist and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He was a brother-in-law of John Gould who had married his sister Elizabeth.
Early ...
, who was also an taxidermist.
[ She married ]John Gould
John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...
in January 1829, both 24 years old. Elizabeth began her professional work-life by producing ornithological
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
drawings intended to supplement John's ornithological writing in letters to colleagues. Her first published work was in 1832 with A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains was an ornithological book published by John Gould between 1830 & 1832.
John Gould was working as a taxidermist at the museum of the Zoological Society of London, curating and preserving animal bod ...
. With lack of a publisher, the Goulds decided to publish it themselves. In the early days of the couple’s relationship/partnership, Elizabeth provided an income for her family through selling her drawings.[Ashley, M. (2014). Elizabeth Gould, zoological artist 1840-1848: Unsettling critical depictions of John Gould’s “laborious assistant” and “devoted wife.” Hecate, 39(1/2), 101–122. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.861095316895401] John encouraged her to learn lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
and asked his collaborator Edward Lear
Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...
to teach her.
The extent of Lear's direct influence on the artist is uncertain, but they moved in a circle of artists and natural historians working on similar publications. Elizabeth's work entailed making designs, compositions, and detailed observations of depictions of exotic birds. This was so that the works could then be made into lithographic reproductions. In addition to this, Elizabeth also made watercolor paintings accompanied with color keys for colorists to copy. All of this group were enthused with the depiction and scientific illustration of the unknown animals found on European expeditions, especially the novelties in English collections of Australian birds and mammals.
Once proficient with the art form, she created illustrations from John's more rudimentary drawings. It is important to note that Elizabeth’s knowledge of art and her skills were not handed to her by her husband. John and Elizabeth’s skills were complementary and the pair worked together to create significant advances in the world of natural history and ornithology. The Goulds skillfully appealed to the aesthetic value of nature while educating those around them of new species. They nurtured a want for the representations of birds and other species within their works.
[Australian Museum]
Elizabeth Gould
In her eleven year career(1830-1841) she designed, lithographed, and painted more than 650 plates which appeared in:
*A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains was an ornithological book published by John Gould between 1830 & 1832.
John Gould was working as a taxidermist at the museum of the Zoological Society of London, curating and preserving animal bod ...
(1831 and 1832). 80 plates. For this book, she worked with taxidermied birds.
*''The Birds of Europe'' (1832–37). 380 plates. For this book, live (caged) birds were available for her reference. This is when her signature style of ornate backgrounds and realistic shading were first realized. Lithography allowed for more realistic textures, such as feathers and fluff.
*''A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans'' (1834). 24 plates.
*''A Monograph of the Trogonidae, or family of trogons'' (1835–38). Most of the 36 plates.
*''The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle'', pt. III. Birds (1838). Gould created all 50 plates for this work but is uncredited.[
*''A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia'' (1837–38).120 plates.
*'' The Birds of Australia'' (1837–38). 84 plates, as well as an unspecified number of designs. This was the Gould's biggest and most ambitious project. Elizabeth sketched these subjects alive. Her most famous work is an image of the fairy wren (then known as the blue warbler).
*''The Birds of Australia'' (1840–48). Many of the 681 hand-coloured plates prepared by Gould have been digitised by the State Library of New South Wales.
*''Icones avium, or, Figures and descriptions of new and interesting species of birds from various parts of the globe'' (1837–38). 20 plates.
Her early illustrations have been described as stiff, but subsequently improved with experience.] They remained quite formal compositions due to their use in ornithological classification.[A. H. Chisholm]
Gould, Elizabeth (1804 - 1841)
, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography
The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...
'', Volume 1, Melbourne University Press, 1966, p. 465.
The Goulds and the oldest of their surviving 4 children travelled to Australia in 1838. Elizabeth spent much of her time in Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
as a guest of Jane Franklin
Jane, Lady Franklin (née Griffin; 4 December 1791 – 18 July 1875) was the second wife of the English explorer Sir John Franklin. During her husband's period as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land, she became known for her philanthropic ...
. While John travelled extensively collecting specimens, Elizabeth drew and painted specimens. Her brother Charles Coxen
Charles Coxen (20 April 1809 – 17 May 1876) was a naturalist and politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. He was a brother-in-law of John Gould who had married his sister Elizabeth.
Early ...
also immigrated to Australia, where he and his wife Elizabeth Coxen
Elizabeth Frances Coxen née Isaac (1825–1906) was an Australian naturalist and meteorologist. Born in Gloucestershire, England, she emigrated to with her family to Sydney, Australia in 1839. She was a collector of shells, insects and birds ...
, who were also interested in natural history, became members of the Queensland Philosophical Society.
While in Australia, Elizabeth made hundreds of drawings from specimens for the publications ''Birds of Australia
Australia and its offshore islands and territories have 898 recorded bird species as of 2014. Of the recorded birds, 165 are considered vagrant or accidental visitors, of the remainder over 45% are classified as Australian endemics: found nowhe ...
'' and ''A Monograph of the Macropodidæ'', or ''Family of Kangaroos'', as well as illustrations for the ornithology volume of Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...
’s '' Zoology of the Voyage of HMS Beagle''.
She bore one son while living in Australia, and gave birth to their eighth child when they returned to England in 1840.[Only 6 of the Gould's children survived to adulthood.] Elizabeth did not live to see the completion of her research, dying of puerperal fever shortly after the birth of her last child.
Gould completed 84 plates for ''The Birds of Australia'' before her death. Henry Constantine Richter ( H.C. Richter) was employed by John Gould following Elizabeth’s passing. He worked on completing the illustrations in The Birds of Australia. The sketches of Elizabeth and H.C. Richter are notably difficult to distinguish from each other. Likely, her sketches informed the work of H.C. Richter. Though new artists were found to illustrate John’s books, it is evident that he was devastated by the loss of Elizabeth. He never remarried and honored his wife for how much she provided to his work
A complete account of her life, ''The Story of Elizabeth Gould,'' was published by Alec Chisholm
Alexander Hugh Chisholm OBE FRZS (28 March 1890 — 10 July 1977) also known as Alec Chisholm, was a noted Australian naturalist, journalist, newspaper editor, author and ornithologist. He was a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists ...
in 1944. Little was known about her until 1938 when a collection of her letters written from Australia was discovered. These letters were the basis for the book. Now housed in the Mitchell Library
The Mitchell Library is a large public library and centre of the City Council public library system of Glasgow, Scotland.
History
The library, based in the Charing Cross district, was initially established in Ingram Street in 1877 following a ...
, the letters reveal her as a charming, cultured, and musically and artistically talented woman. Although the Goulds spent less than two years in Australia, the monumental seven-volume publication '' The Birds of Australia'' remains the definitive work on the subject.
The Gouldian finch
The Gouldian finch (''Chloebia gouldiae''), also known as the Lady Gouldian finch, Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird that is native to Australia.
Taxonomy
The Gouldian finch was described by British ornithologi ...
(''Chloebia gouldiae'') and Mrs. Gould's sunbird (''Aethopyga gouldiae'') were named in her honor. John Gould named the Gouldian Finch in memory of his wife, stating "It was with feelings of the purest affection that I ventured, in the folio edition, to dedicate this lovely bird to the memory of my late wife, who for many years laboriously assisted me with her pencil, accompanied me to Australia, and cheerfully interested herself in all my pursuits." Mrs. Gould's sunbird was also named for Elizabeth, this time by Nicholas Vigors
Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system.
Early life
Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow on 1785 as fi ...
, a friend of the Gould's and contributor to John Gould's work.
Attribution and contemporary scholarship
There is a growing body of critical research exploring the attribution of Elizabeth's work to her husband. His own role in producing the lithographs has been questioned and examples of his style of drawing have been submitted to suggest that the actual drawing and coloring is likely the sole work of Elizabeth. Her role as sole artist of their first collection ''A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains'' was acknowledged on every lithograph with the attribution "Drawn from Nature and on Stone by E. Gould." Subsequent collections used "J & E Gould." ''The'' ''Birds of Australia'' includes a number of attributions to "J & E Gould." However, scholars feel that Elizabeth's exhaustive work creating an archive of preparatory drawings for the lithographs before her death was not adequately recognized.
Portrayals in popular media
* Melissa Ashley
Melissa Ashley (born 1973) is an Australian novelist. In the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards, her novel ''The Birdman's Wife'' won the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award. It also received the Australian Booksellers Association Nielsen Bo ...
, ''The Birdman's Wife'', Affirm Press, 2016, historical fiction. In the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards
The Queensland Literary Awards is an awards program established in 2012 by the Queensland literary community, funded by sponsors and administered by the State Library of Queensland. Like the former Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, the QLA ...
, the novel won the University of Queensland Fiction Book Award.
Gallery
File:A synopsis of the birds of Australia, and the adjacent Islands BHL45925303.jpg
File:Turnix sylvatica.jpg
File:Bubo bengalensis Gould.jpg
File:Gould MenuraSuperbaShawLyrebird MIA P19812.jpg
File:ArsesKaupiGould.jpg
File:A synopsis of the birds of Australia, and the adjacent Islands BHL45925102.jpg
File:Red Grouse.jpg
File:Gelinotte.jpg
File:Rock Dove.jpg
File:Stock Dove.jpg
File:Galapagos Barn Owl.jpg
File:Turtle Dove.jpg
File:Vintage illustrations by Denton from Game Birds and Fishes of North America digitally enhanced by rawpixel 37.jpg
File:Vintage illustrations by Denton from Game Birds and Fishes of North America digitally enhanced by rawpixel 31.jpg
File:Vintage illustrations by Denton from Game Birds and Fishes of North America digitally enhanced by rawpixel 41.jpg
File:Vintage illustrations by Denton from Game Birds and Fishes of North America digitally enhanced by rawpixel 39.jpg
See also
*List of wildlife artists
This list of wildlife artists is a list for any notable wildlife artist, wildlife painter, wildlife photographer, other wildlife artist, society of wildlife artists, museum, or exhibition of wildlife art, worldwide.
A
* Jackson Miles Abbott
* Jo ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*Newman, Alexandra K
"Elizabeth Gould: An Accomplished Woman."
''Unbound: Smithsonian Libraries''.
*
*Chisholm, A.H. (1944
The story of Elizabeth Gould
*Gould, E
Mrs Elizabeth Gould collection of drawings of Australian plants, flowers and foliage, 1838-42
External links
* ttp://www.nla.gov.au/collect/treasures/apr_treasure.html John Gould's Birds of Australiabr>Linda Hall Library Portraits of 12 Scientific Illustrators from the 17th to the 21st Century
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Elizabeth
English illustrators
Scientific illustrators
1804 births
1841 deaths
People from Ramsgate
Australian bird artists
British bird artists
19th-century British painters
Deaths in childbirth