Birds of Paradise

Publication: Birds of Paradise

Author: Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835-1915)

Artist: Joseph Mathias Wolf (1820-1999)

Publication date: 1873

A complete set includes: 
1 title page
1 content page with all titles of the prints
36 prints after J. Wolf
Solander box
Certificate of authenticity

Casing: The complete set will be cased in an elegant handcrafted Solander Box covered in special linen embossed with golden lettering.

You may choose your own color of the boxes and your own lettering.

Size of the prints: 23.6 x 18.5 inches (60 x 47 cm).

Source of the original: Teylers Museum Haarlem

Durability: To ensure the durability, the giclée’s are printed on acid-free white etching paper (270 g/m²) with archival ink.

Quality: These prints were  photographed using the latest technology, with a color-checker color matched to the original illustration and then reproduced at the original plate size. Printed in the highest possible resolution, these prints are virtually indistinguishable from the originals when glazed and framed.

Limited Edition: The edition will be limited to 50 sets, numbered 1/50 to 50/50, signed and stamped with a blind embossing.

Delivery time: Because the Solander box will be made on demand by a professional bookbinder please allow a delivery time of 3-4 weeks.

With a deep passion for natural history, and founder of the American Ornithological Union, Elliot is an important figure in the world of ornithological art.

Born in New York, Elliot later moved to Chicago where he became curator of zoology at the city’s Field Museum of Natural History. He was also one of the founders of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Although he had artistic skills himself, Elliot recognised his own limitations and preferred to commission other artists to bring his ideas to life. Elliot’s collections therefore are created mainly from the work he commissioned from others.

Traveling through Europe and Asia

As a young man, Elliot travelled through Europe and Asia in pursuit of new bird and animal species. He often spent several years away from home at a time, studying and collecting his specimens.

With great personal wealth, Elliot had the resources to commission large, extravagant works of art at a time when many publishers were opting for smaller formats and less-expensive color techniques. As a result, Elliot’s exquisite and dramatic pieces stand apart from the other ornithological works of the late 1800s.

Influenced by Audubon

Elliot’s work is often compared to the great naturalist and artist John James Audubon. Indeed, Elliot himself alluded to the influence Audubon had on his work, writing in the preface to one of his collections:

“Since the time of Wilson and Audubon, no work has been published upon American Ornithology, containing life-size reproductions of the various species that have been discovered since the labors of those great men were finished… It was, therefore, with the desire to contribute, as might be in my power, towards the elucidation of the comparatively little know species of the Birds of North America, their habits and economy, as well as to render their forms familiar so far as life-size representations of them might serve to do, that I undertook the present publication.”

Joseph Wolf and Joseph Smit

Two artists that Elliot regular worked with were the German artist Joseph Wolf and the Dutch artist Joseph Smit, both of whom had worked for the English ornithologist John Gould.

Elliot’s commissions are distinctive in color and size and often show detailed depictions of birds within their natural habitats.

Elliot died in New York of pneumonia, aged 80. However, his work is still immensely popular today and he is credited for reviving the art of lavish color-plate books on nature.

Working with artists Wolf and Smit, and colorist JD White, Elliot brought together 36 hand-colored lithographic plates showing the dramatic and beautiful plumage of Birds of Paradise.

Commenting on this collection, author of The Art of Natural History, Peter Dance said: “The plates in this work, almost as magnificent as the birds they portray, were the fruits of Elliot’s considerable wealth, Wolf’s great artistry and both men’s profound knowledge and love of birds.”

This beautiful collection, A Monograph of the Paradisaeidae or Birds of Paradise, includes some of the most acclaimed bird illustrations ever created with each bird’s dramatic plumage enhanced by its natural habitat.

A complete set includes 36 giclée prints, a title page, a content page, a Solander box and a Certificate if Authenticity.

Complete set

Our collection gives you the opportunity to own prints created directly from the original editions of Elliot’s acclaimed masterpieces.

Recreated in the large original size that Elliot is known for, each one is printed using fine art digital printing processes, using the highest possible resolution, to create images that are indistinguishable from the originals.

With age-resistant white etching paper and archival ink; the prints are designed to resist fading for 100 years, giving you a lifetime of enjoyment from these beautiful collections.

Solander Box

When investing in a complete Elliot set, you can also choose our beautiful Solander box as the perfect place to store your collection.

This high-quality box is designed especially for keeping your giclée prints safe and in perfect condition – yet you can still easily look at them whenever you wish. 

You will also receive our Certificate of Authenticity. This shows all the details of your artwork and gives you valuable certification if you ever wish to sell or bequeath your collection in the future.