C.H. Great Auk Bird

Animal Illustrations: C.H. & C.H. Jr Watercolours 1850s

This charming animal illustration derives from a broader group of works by two British hands, primarily initialled C.H. and C.H. Junior. The animal subjects represent the Victorian fascination for the natural world, both for British animals that could be encountered at home, and for exotic species from far-flung corners of the Empire.

The identity of the artists, presumed to be father and son, is unknown, but the works date from the period 1847 to 1875, with the majority from the 1850s and 1860s. Based on numerous landscapes in the collection, there appears to be a connection with the Herne Bay area of Kent.

Both artists evidently had considerable artistic talent; an emphasis on architectural subjects within their work, including some technical-style drawings, perhaps suggests one of them was an architect. The charm of the greater collection is, however, its encyclopedic breadth, covering animals, landscapes, buildings and ethnographic figure subjects—all rendered with delicacy and flair.