Daniel Giraud Elliot

Family of the Pheasants

Complete Set

Family of the Pheasants

Elliot was intrigued by the appearance and behaviour of pheasants in his collection.

A Monograph of the Phasianidae or A Family of Pheasants is considered the highest achievement of his career.

In each study, the specimen is placed in its natural habitat, to show to full effect the brilliant splendour of its plumage.

Each original lithograph was completely hand-colored and printed on an imperial folio size sheet.

The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates clearly demonstrates the importance which Elliot attached to the pheasant family.

Own your own collection

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

A complete set includes:

2 title page
2 content pages
79 prints after the hand-colored originals
2 uncolored prints
2 handcrafted Solander Boxes embossed with gold lettering.
Certificate of authenticity

Features and Details

Publication: The Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of the Pheasants.

Author: Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835-1915)

Artists: After Joseph Wolf (1820-1899) by Joseph Smit and John Gerrard Keulemans (1842-1912)

Publication date: 1870-1872

A complete set includes:
2 title pages (volume 1 and volume 2)
2 content pages with all titles of the prints (volume 1 and volume 2)
79 hand-colored prints after Joseph Wolf by Joseph Smit (58) and John Gerrard Keulemans (21)
2 uncolored plates by and after Joseph Smit
2 Solander boxes
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).

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.

Shipping and delivery: Read more about shipping and delivery in our FAQ .

About the Author

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.

Family of the Pheasants

Elliot was intrigued by the appearance and behaviour of pheasants and his collection Monograph of the Phasianidae or Family of Pheasants is considered the highest achievement of his career.

In each study, the specimen is placed in its natural habitat, to show to full effect the brilliant splendour of its plumage. Author of Fine Bird Books Sacheverell Sitwell said that these prints were of “the same rank as Audubon and Edward Lear”.

Each original lithograph was completely hand-colored and printed on an imperial folio size sheet. The magnificent size and beautiful colouring of the plates clearly demonstrates the importance which Elliot attached to the pheasant family.

Of all the families in the ornithological system, Elliot regarded the pheasant family as the one most vital to the human race, writing: “containing within it the species that afford food for thousands of mankind, and also those which are the original source of all the domestic poultry met with throughout the civilized world.”

This complete collection includes 81 giclée prints, a title page, a content page, a Solander box and a Certificate of 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.

Limited Editions

We know how special it is to own a piece from your favorite artist; a piece that will be a real talking point in your home.

That is why each edition is limited to just 50 prints. These are numbered from 1/50 to 50/50H and are signed and stamped with a blind embossing.

So when you choose prints from Heritage Prints, you know your artwork has been printed with great care and in limited numbers, making it a print only a select few will own

Solander Box

When investing in a complete set, our Solander box is the perfect place to store your collection.

The box is covered with library buckram cloth and is fitted with a card holder to the spine with attaché fasteners.

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

Certification

When you invest in our prints or collections, you will receive a certificate of authenticity.

This provides a lasting record of your artwork and gives you valuable certification if you ever wish to sell or bestow your collection in the future.

Elliot - Family of the Pheasants - View all prints below

Heritage Prints has a master copy of many images. But we do not have every certified facsimile giclee print in stock.

If you cannot find a specific work on our website, please contact us directly and we will start the rigorous process of printing your individual facsimile.

Daniel Giraud Elliot

Family of the Pheasants

Complete Set