Antique Natural HistoryOriginal plates from the naturalists' books, 1600s to 1900s
Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840

Close-ups

Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, close-up 1Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, close-up 2Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, close-up 3Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, close-up 4Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, close-up 5Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, close-up 6

Framed and on the wall

Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, shown framedDer Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, shown framed on a wallDer Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840, shown framed in a room

Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.

Der Bison (American Bison) - Hand-Colored Zoological Print, Circa 1840

€330 ($370, £280, €330)

Period original, not a reproduction.

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Date
1840
Size
11.8 × 15.2 in (30 × 38.5 cm)
Condition
Good. The condition of this print is good for its age, with vibrant hand-colored detailling. Minor scattered foxing and slight edge discoloration that do not detract from the image's appeal.
Period
Early 19th century
Section
Mammals
Reference
f_43014742

Der Bison, a hand-colored lithograph of about 1840 from a German natural history series. The title "Der Bison" and the scientific name "(Bos americanus Gmel.)" are printed below the image, with a paragraph of German text beneath.

The animal is drawn in a lowered, charging pose, head down with its heavy mane and beard of shaggy brown hair, a short curved horn and a red eye, the forequarters massive and the hindquarters thin, and the tail raised. A wash of green marks the ground, a rocky outcrop and a faint sky stand behind it, and a flock of birds crosses the upper part of the sheet. The German text below gives the animal's size and habits, and notes that the bison lives in herds of many thousands in North America.

The name Bos americanus was the form Gmelin gave to the American bison in the eighteenth century. In 1840 the bison still ranged across the central plains of North America, and the herds were the main resource of the Plains peoples.