Antique c.1861 John Gould Hummingbird Lithograph & Text Framed Gallery Display

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A beautifully presented two-piece framed gallery display featuring an original antique John Gould hummingbird lithograph, Chlorostilbon angustipennis, commonly known as … Read more A beautifully presented two-piece framed gallery display featuring an original antique John Gould hummingbird lithograph, Chlorostilbon angustipennis, commonly known as the Columbian Emerald, paired with its corresponding descriptive text page.

The lithograph comes from Gould’s celebrated 19th-century masterpiece, A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds — one of the most desirable and visually enchanting bird books of the Victorian era. Gould’s hummingbird plates are especially prized for their jewel-like hand coloring, delicate botanical settings, and luminous finishing touches, including the use of gum arabic to give selected areas a subtle, light-catching sheen.

Original Gould hummingbird plates have long been sought after by collectors, decorators, and natural history enthusiasts. They were produced in limited folio form for a refined 19th-century audience, and surviving examples remain coveted for their combination of scientific importance, artistic beauty, and decorative presence.

Both pieces are presented in coordinating antique gilt frames with a warm, time-earned patina, double matted in deep olive green with a warm tan reveal. The mats are acid- and lignin-free conservation mats, chosen to complement the antique paper while giving the display a refined, preservation-conscious presentation.

The antique gilt frames bring their own charm, with gentle age, rubbing, and finish variation that give the set a collected, old-world character rather than the look of new modern framing. The lithograph is mounted as part of its earlier presentation and was originally sold through Marshall Field & Company, adding a subtle layer of historic retail provenance.

Paired with the matching descriptive text page, the display feels more complete and scholarly than a single framed plate alone. The soft green tones of the hummingbirds, pale blue botanical wash, olive matting, warm tan reveal, and antique gilt frames create a richly layered presentation suited for a foyer, study, library wall, powder room, or traditional interior.

Sold together as a two-piece framed gallery display. See less