Fork-Tailed Blue-Vented Bee-Eater, Plate 10 from Birds of Western Africa
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Hamill and Barker
Accession Number
1961-105-168
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
William Home Lizars, a Scottish engraver and painter active in the early nineteenth century, produced this detailed print of the Fork-Tailed Blue-Vented Bee-Eater in 1837. Appearing as Plate 10 in the volume *Birds of Western Africa*, the work exemplifies the period’s growing interest in natural history illustration, when artists and publishers collaborated to document species from newly explored regions for both scientific and popular audiences. As a print, the image allowed wide distribution of accurate bird depictions at a time when travel to Western Africa remained limited for most Europe...