Print, Ornithological, Paradise Parrots, John Gould, The Birds of Australia, H.C. Richter, GLCO Litho, Original Lithograph, Extinct Species, Vintage 1950s–1960s

The last confirmed sighting of this bird was in eastern Australia in 1927. This print is all that remains of what it looked like.

This is an original New Old Stock vintage lithograph of Paradise Parrots — from John Gould's landmark seven-volume work The Birds of Australia (1840–1848), plate illustrated by Henry Constantine Richter. Produced by Goes Lithography Company (GLCO), Chicago, circa 1950s–1960s. Marked: Litho in U.S.A., GLCO, Beautiful Parakeets. Six available. Unframed.

The Paradise Parrot — Psephotus pulcherrimus, meaning "multicoloured and superlatively beautiful" in Latin — was native to eastern Australia and is now extinct. The image is everything its scientific name promises: vivid, jewel-toned, and precisely observed. John Gould published The Birds of Australia between 1840 and 1848, a seven-volume, 600-plate comprehensive illustrated account that remains one of the great ornithological publications of all time. While Gould wrote the monographs, much of the illustration was done by his wife Elizabeth Gould, and by artists including Edward Lear and H.C. Richter, who produced this particular plate. Gould is considered the father of bird study in Australia; the Gould League there is named in his honor.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Goes Lithography Company of Chicago — founded 1879, operating until 2019 — reproduced Gould's plates as advertisement prints for calendars, thermometers, postcards, and promotional pieces. This example is New Old Stock, never used, in pristine condition on card stock. Suitable for framing; we recommend framing to preserve it.

A wonderful piece for a bird art collector, a John Gould enthusiast, a lover of natural history illustration, or anyone who wants a piece of genuine ornithological history — and a portrait of a bird that no longer exists — on their wall.

• Source: The Birds of Australia, John Gould (1840–1848) — plate by H.C. Richter
• Publisher: Goes Lithography Company (GLCO), Chicago, IL (1879–2019)
• Subject: Paradise Parrot (Psephotus pulcherrimus) — extinct, last sighted 1927
• Dated: circa 1950s–1960s
• Dimensions: 12.0" × 9.0" (portrait)
• Material: Card stock — original lithograph
• Condition: New Old Stock (NOS), excellent. Very slight age toning. No folds or damaged corners. Unframed. Please review all photos carefully — we cannot accept returns.