Swallow Egg

Printmaker: Benjamin Fawcett

Origin: Driffield, Yorkshire, England

Date: 19th century

Style: Original antique natural-history print

Technique: Colour wood engraving with hand-coloured finishing

Subject: Birds’ eggs

Paper size: 25 × 17 cm

Printed area: Approximately 20 × 13 cm

Description:

An original nineteenth-century natural-history print depicting birds’ eggs, produced at the Driffield workshop of Benjamin Fawcett in Yorkshire.

Fawcett was an important figure in Victorian colour printing, particularly in the field of natural-history illustration. His workshop produced finely detailed images combining wood engraving and colour printing with hand-applied finishing.

The print reflects the Victorian interest in oology, the study of birds’ eggs. Naturalists assembled collections of eggs and nests to investigate birds and their breeding habits, while illustrated plates recorded the shapes, colours and distinctive markings of specimens. These images served as visual references alongside written descriptions, combining scientific observation with the decorative qualities of natural-history illustration.

Offered as an individual antique sheet, the print can be displayed on its own or grouped with other examples from the series.

Condition: Antique paper with age toning. Please examine the photograph for any spotting, creasing, surface marks or edge wear. The photograph shows the actual sheet offered.

Presentation: Supplied unframed. The price is for the single antique print pictured.

This is an original nineteenth-century print with hand-coloured finishing, not a modern reproduction.