Elizabeth Gould, (1804 – 1841), was a British artist and illustrator at the forefront of the natural history movement. Elizabeth travelled and worked alongside her husband, naturalist and author John Gould. She produced illustrations and lithographs for ornithological works, including plates in Darwin's “The Zoology of the Voyage of HMS Beagle” and the Goulds' seminal work, “The Birds of Australia”. In total, Elizabeth is credited with at least 650 works. For this work, “A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains”, she worked from taxidermy rather than real life to create her images. Little is known of her early life. However, it is likely that Elizabeth underwent training in drawing and botany from a young age. In the 19th century botany and natural history were part of the education of girls in middle-class English families. |
