The Belted Kingfisher (Alava alcyon) NY Birds Card

See all New York Bird Figures items at https://www.zazzle.com/store/zephyrusbooks/products?cg=196975507339845126 - - Plate XIX Figures 40, 41 The Belted Kingfisher (Alcedo alcyon) (Megaceryle alcyon) These bird images are scanned directly from lithographs in an 1844 book, “Zoology of New York, or the New-York Fauna, Part II, Birds.” They are all very high resolution, providing intricate detail and wonderful resolution. The artwork is by J. W. Hill, and the author of the book is James De Kay. Often referred to as “De Kay’s Birds,” this book not only has beautiful illustrations, but is historically notable because it was the first time hand-colored lithographs were used to illustrate a state bird book. While not rare, the undamaged book is getting more and more scarce as people remove the plates for individual sale. There were very few published with the complete set of hand-colored plates. I am offering products with the entire plates (there are 141 plates in the book) as well as many of the individual figures. I have edited the figures to display them on their own, manipulating the background paper to patch in any spaces and repair the most grievous damage and soiling. Because of this you will notice edit marks on some of the backgrounds. Many I have further edited to remove the background paper, offering them as PNG images with transparent backgrounds. All images have been edited and cleaned up, and much of the text removed. James Ellsworth De Kay (1792-1851) was a naturalist who lived at the same time as John James Audubon (1785-1851). Audubon’s plates are, of course, much more famous and scarce. De Kay’s however, are very beautiful, with detailed lithography and wonderful colors. These images are from his 1844 Birds of New York, fully titled: Zoology of New York, or the New-York Fauna, Part II, Birds. It was produced in very limited numbers, so few intact copies of the book with the original hand colored plates still exist. De Kay’s work remained the standard in the field until the publication of Elon Howard Eaton’s 1910-1914 work which was part of the New York State Museum's Memoirs. J. W. (John William) Hill (1812–1879) was a British born artist whose work with the New York State Survey included many projects other than ornithology. His paintings and engravings are in the collections of many major museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Brooklyn Museum. Nomenclature is from the book. Species and common names have in many cases changed over the decades, and in some cases I may have added more updated common names as I have been able. Latin names are unchanged from the text. Options such as border sizes, background and border colors, and certain text may be edited and changed if you like. Just click the customize button. This image has been edited to adjust for age and discoloration, and to repair any major defects. Image courtesy of OldBookArt.com.