Communication in History: Technology, Culture, Society

Bought for large sums of money from travellers and merchants, parrots were the object of much fascination to 19th century European aristocracy for their colorful liveries and most of all for their ability to speak, sing, and imitate the human voice. Completed in 1832 when he was just 20, Edward Lears set of 42 hand-colored lithographs entitled Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots comprise one of the first collections entirely dedicated to parrots in the history of scientific illustration; they include different African, Australian, and American species bred by the collections subscribers, amongst whom were the artists patrons Sir William Jardine and Prideaux John Selby. The young and prodigiously talented Lear (1812-1888) made his drawings from live parrots, the collection was reproduced in only 175 precious sets With a brief zoological introduction and written portraits of each bird, TASCHEN reprint brings Lears parrots back to life for all to admire.