Skip to Content

When I had hardly yet learned to walk … the productions of Nature that lay spread all around, were constantly pointed out to me.
—John James Audubon

Capturing Nature

The book has always accompanied the science of natural history.

Illustration in particular has often proved the most effective means of communicating new information to a diverse range of audiences, from professional scientists to interested amateurs. Illustrated books like Humphry Repton's Designs for the Pavillon also proved invaluable for architectural and landscaping purposes to visualise designs.

Magnificent examples of natural history books of the time include Louis Renard's Poissons, Ecrevisses et Crabes which beautifully delineates the fish, crustaceans and insects of the East Indies, and Robert John Thornton's Temple of Flora. Wildlife art also became increasingly specialised, with ornithological illustration (in books like Birds of America) a major area of expertise.

The leaders in this field in the 18th and 19th centuries, the golden age of natural history illustration, include Thomas Bewick, John James Audubon, John and Elizabeth Gould, and Edward Lear.

They are recognised for their achievements in meeting the greatest challenge: creating an image that is detailed and scientifically accurate but also captures the character or life of the creature involved.