Antique Hand-Colored Litghograph , "The Crowned Flycatcher" — John Cassin, Plate 8, C. 1853–1856

Details

Description

…. A striking piece of American natural history art, this hand-colored lithograph depicts The Crowned Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubineus) — male … Read more …. A striking piece of American natural history art, this hand-colored lithograph depicts The Crowned Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubineus) — male and female together on a bare winter branch — the brilliant scarlet crown and breast of the male rendered with a vividness that stops the eye even 170 years on.
About the Publication
The print is Plate 8 from John Cassin's landmark work Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America, first issued in ten parts from 1853 to 1855 and published by J.B. Lippincott & Co. in Philadelphia. The work was intended to complement Audubon's celebrated Birds of America — filling in the gaps left by Audubon as American exploration pushed rapidly westward. Cassin identified birds not previously described, ultimately documenting approximately 200 species not identified by either Wilson or Audubon.
Cassin served as curator and vice president at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, focused on the systematic classification of birds. Five species of North American birds, a cicada, and a mineral were named in his honor. The plates were illustrated by George G. White, drawn on stone by William E. Hitchcock, and lithographed in color by Hitchcock and J.T. Bowen — a production team working in the finest tradition of 19th-century natural history publishing. It is believed only 100 complete volumes survive today, making individual plates increasingly rare and desirable.
The Framing
The print has been professionally framed circa 2000 in a gold gilt wood frame with archival-quality double matting in cream and sage — ensuring the piece has been properly preserved and protected for decades to come. The archival materials guard against acid degradation, meaning this 170-year-old print will remain stable for generations of future owners. Ready to hang straight from the box.
In Your Home
Antique botanical and ornithological prints have never gone out of style — and for good reason. A Cassin Crowned Flycatcher brings warmth, erudition, and a story to any room. Consider it in:

A library or study — grouped with other natural history prints in matching gilt frames for an English country house gallery wall
A bedroom or sitting room — as a single statement piece above a dresser or bedside table, its soft palette of sage, cream, and scarlet playing beautifully against linen, warm wood, and antique brass
A hallway or staircase — part of a vertical or horizontal run of bird prints, each in matching frames, creating an elegant naturalist's corridor
A botanical or nature-themed space — paired with pressed botanicals, vintage maps, or taxidermy for a collected, cabinet-of-curiosities feel

Its compact framed size (11" × 15") makes it exceptionally versatile — substantial enough to anchor a vignette, modest enough to layer within a larger gallery arrangement.
Details

Subject: The Crowned Flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rubineus), male and female
Source: Illustrations of the Birds of California, Texas, Oregon, British and Russian America by John Cassin
Plate: No. 8
On Stone by: Wm. E. Hitchcock
Lithographed & Colored by: J.T. Bowen, Philadelphia
Medium: Hand-colored lithograph
Period: Mid-19th century (c. 1853–1856)
Frame: Gold gilt wood, c. 2000, with archival double mat in cream and sage
Framed Dimensions: 11"W × 15"H × 1"D
Condition: Very good — print well-preserved within archival framing; light age toning consistent with a 19th-century work See less