“Goldfinch” frontispiece from Familiar Wild Birds, First Series by Walter Swaysland, published in London in 1883 by Cassell & Company, Limited. The book features a beautifully designed cover with gilt decoration and gilt edged pages. The series of four volumes was considered a seminal work in the field of ornithology, and provided a comprehensive guide to the bird species commonly found in Great Britain. Swaysland was a notable British ornithologist who aimed to make the study of birds accessible to a broad audience. His writings include detailed observations and practical advice on bird watching and identification. Of the goldfinch, he noted:
“Unfortunately, of late years our little friends have greatly decreased in numbers; and so much has this been deplored, that, as a last resort, even the aid of Parliament has been invoked to help preserve this and other sweet little birds from extirpation.”
(The goldfinch rebounded and is now found in abundance throughout most of Great Britain).
The volume contains forty chromolithograph plates by artists Archibald Thorburn and Eliza Turck. “Goldfinch” is a work by Turck (her initials can be seen at lower left), an English artist known for portraits, miniatures, genre scenes, landscapes, and birds. Born in 1832, she received an extensive art education in London and Belgium, and widely exhibited at the Royal Academy starting in 1854. She provided illustrations for all four volumes of Swaysland’s Familiar Wild Birds.