Artwork
Florida Cormorant
Florida Cormorant is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Robert Havell Jr.. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1835, *Florida Cormorate* is a hand‑colored engraving combined with aquatint, printed on fine Whatman wove paper.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1835, *Florida Cormorate* is a hand‑colored engraving combined with aquatint, printed on fine Whatman wove paper. The image presents a large cormorant with a vivid orange face and long neck perched on a branch above water, surrounded by smaller birds on a swampy shore.
Subject & Meaning
The print focuses on a Florida cormorant, illustrating the bird’s dark green‑brown plumage, bright facial coloration, and reddish beak and feet. The composition emphasizes the bird’s natural environment, capturing the interplay of water, foliage, and nearby avian life.
Technique & Style
Robert Havell Jr. employed the aquatint process, a method the Havell family refined for producing tonal washes, alongside precise line engraving for feather detail. Hand‑coloring was applied after printing, adding the characteristic orange and red hues that differentiate the bird from its surroundings.
History & Provenance
The work emerges from the Havell workshop, noted for its contributions to British natural‑history illustration in the early nineteenth century. It reflects the family’s reputation as leading practitioners of aquatint and their involvement in producing ornithological studies for scientific audiences.
Context
During the 1830s, British printmakers frequently created detailed depictions of exotic wildlife for naturalists and collectors. *Florida Cormorant* aligns with this tradition, serving both as a visual record for scientific study and as a decorative object for those interested in the flora and fauna of the New World.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
