John Gould, The birds of Australia: in seven volumes, London, John Gould, 1848, State Library of Victoria.

Englishman John Gould was one of the most significant ornithologists of the Victorian age. Gould travelled to Australia in 1838 with his wife Elizabeth and collector John Gilbert. The birds of Australia is one of Gould’s greatest achievements, not only for its scale but also for the beauty and accuracy of the hand-coloured lithographs, many completed by Elizabeth.