1835
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Fork-tailed Petrel is a 1835 ink by Robert Havell Jr., a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows two fork-tailed petrels flying over choppy waves. Their wings are spread wide, feathers detailed in soft browns and whites. The sky above is a mix of pale blues and stormy grays, while the water below churns with whitecaps. The artist labeled the male and female birds, noting their scientific names. This kind of careful labeling was common in natural history prints of the time. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this carved fine lines into metal plates to make prints.
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
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