Lewin, William "Hen Harrier" Pl. 18.

William Lewin (1747-1795).  Plate 18. “Hen Harrier.”  From The Birds of Great Britain, Systematically Arranged, Accurately Engraved, and Painted from Nature.... 

London, 1795-1801.  Second edition.  6 ¾ x 5 ¼ (plate mark).  Etching by William Lewin, and sons.  Original hand coloring.  With original plate text.  Very good condition. 

These delicate ornithological prints are the creation of William Lewin (1747-1795) a London born illustrator turned natural history artist.  The first edition of his Birds of Great Britain, published in 1789 was a remarkable undertaking, as it contained 323 original watercolor illustrations (271 birds, 52 eggs), each of which he painted sixty times over for his subscribers.  Not surprisingly, the demand for Lewin’s fine work and the limits imposed by his method led him in 1793 to begin a second edition of etched plates, allowing for relatively more copies to be published.  Lewin, who was reaching the end of his life, was joined in this project by his three talented sons, all of whose work is credited individually on the separate plates.  The result of this wonderful family enterprise is a series of winning and refined images, with each bird posed on a summary branch and often caught in a naturalistic, active pose.  These are charming reminders of the wealth of activity during this exciting period of natural history.