A pair of White Pelicans
1899
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1899
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
A pair of White Pelicans is a 1899 watercolor by Howard Carter, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
Howard Carter painted *A Pair of White Pelicans* in 1899. It’s a watercolor, showing two birds standing side by side. The work blends Impressionism and Realism, two movements that shaped 19th-century art. Before his famous Egypt digs, Carter made a living selling bird paintings. Pelicans were a popular subject in Egypt. His father taught him to draw animals, so birds came naturally. Look up Edward Lear next.
Howard Carter painted a watercolor depicting two white pelicans in 1899, early in his career before his Egyptological work became prominent. The work reflects his training under his father, Samuel John Carter, an animal painter, and his own practice of selling bird illustrations to supplement income while excavating in Egypt. The subject aligns with the interest of 19th-century artists and writers, such as Edward Lear, who also depicted pelicans along the Nile in both visual and literary forms. The painting later passed through private collections, including those of Caroline Smyth and…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Howard Carter’s watercolours capture the sun-bleached walls of Deir al-Bahri, copying 3,500-year-old painted reliefs of queens and royal symbols.
See the richer artist page
