Here’s a bit of vintage grunge and a flying duck drawing for you this morning. It is one of a number of bird illustrations from a book by John Lawrence (1753-1839). I have access to the 8th edition which was published in 1842. No artist or engraver was identified.
This fellow has been captured mid-flight. It seems a little odd for a book from England about A practical treatise on breeding, rearing, and fattening all kinds of domestic poultry, pheasants, pigeons, and rabbits : also, the management of swine, milch cows, and bees, with instructions for the private brewery on cider, perry, and British wine making would include a drawing with palm trees. But, then again, so many of birds fly south for the winter that perhaps the author was just trying to show that. There’s also a bit of bleed through, creating a bit of a vintage, grunge look.
Most of the bird illustrations from this book were included as part of the narrative and the species was identified. This flying duck drawing was used more like a page spacer in that it filled the bottom of a short page.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
