About Wilson Ornithology Plate
Alexander Wilson's American Ornithology (Philadelphia, 1808–1814) gathered cardinals and warblers onto single copperplates engraved by Alexander Lawson, then hand-colored in brilliant crimson and slate. Each sheet pairs precise engraved line-and-stipple shading with watercolor washes laid over aged, hand-laid plate paper.
This design system reconstructs that artifact ground: a dustier grey-buff toned by two centuries of foxing — never bright cream — under cardinal crimson, warbler slate, and ink-black face masks, with period engraved letterforms standing in for the plate's etched captions.
- Origin
- Philadelphia, United States
- Era
- 1808–1814 (first edition, American Ornithology)
- Key figures
- Alexander Wilson · Alexander Lawson
- Movements
- Early American natural-history illustration · Copperplate engraving with hand-coloring
Wilson Ornithology Plate design spec
Colors
Typography
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