John Gould’s Lithographs and the Importance of Original Color

Rich, vibrant color is an important attribute of the best 19th Century prints. Many prints by John Gould found on the market today have modern color that affects both the appearance and the value of these great works.

John Gould died in 1881 still actively illustrating and producing fine bird books. His stock of unsold copies, unbound text and plates in various states, lithographic stones, drawings and paintings, amounted to nearly three tons. Many of the uncolored pulls from his works have been recolored in the last thirty years, and these are often found on the market.

Fortunately, the difference between original and modern color can be discerned by looking carefully at the print. When modern color is applied to 180 year old paper, the application is inconsistent; the cellulose of the aged paper has begunt o breakdown and can no longer evenly absorb the watercolors, resulting in a splotchy uneven appearance.

All of the Gould bird prints in Arader Galleries' inventory have exquisite original color. The vastly superior quality of original color can be clearly differentiated from new color by its smooth and even appearance. The inks have noticeably deeper, richer tones. The difference can also be seen in the lovely surface "sheen" that results from the application of gum arabic when the lithograph was first pulled.

The hand coloring of engravings and lithographs reached its zenith in the 19th Century. Works that still display their original color are more rewarding to view, and will better hold their value in the years to come.

Find Arader Galleries Exhibiting at the Most Prestigious Art and Antiques Shows From Coast to Coast!

Arader Galleries has been busy exhibiting at simultaneous art and antiques shows in New York and Los Angeles. Lori Cohen, the director of our gallery in Philadelphia, designed and managed our booth at The Winter Antiques Show, held at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City; While Stephanie Waskins represented Arader Galleries at the Los Angeles Art Show. Both were certainly well attended and an experience not to be missed next year!

Arader Galleries booth at the LA Art Show
January 20^th-24^th 2010


Arader Galleries booth at the Winter Antiques Show
January 22^nd – 31^st 2010

For more information about this and next years shows please follow these links;

Winter Antiques Show: www.winterantiquesshow.com

FADA Los Angeles Art Show: www.laartshow.com

Extraordinary Wall Map of the Americas

Aaron Arrowsmith’s “Map of America” (1804) is one of the rarest and most significant maps he ever produced. An acclaimed British cartographer, Aaron Arrowsmith drafted accurate, detailed charts that earned him the titles of Hydrographer to the King of England and Geographer to the Prince of Wales, extremely important distinctions during an era when Britain ruled the seas. One of the first great British cartographers of North America, Arrowsmith introduced a new standard of excellence in mapmaking in the late eighteenth century and almost single-handedly made London the center for the cartographic trade. Arrowsmith built his great success on his ability to attract both commercial and general viewers through his combination of visual and scientific appeal.

This extraordinary wall map, engraved onto 4 sheets, depicts North and South America. It also shows the oceans that stretch between the Sandwich (Hawaii) and Cape Verdes Islands. Responding to the public’s demand for up-to-date maps of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, Arrowsmith drew on a number of sources in order to create his much heralded “Map of America.” Building on his earlier map of North America, “A Map Exhibiting all the New Discoveries in the Interior Parts of North America” (1795), Arrowsmith made use of the accounts of Cook, Vancouver, Mears, and La Perouse in order to create his updated 1804 wall chart. Though Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and Alexander von Humboldt had not yet concluded their own expeditions of the continent, Arrowsmith was, nevertheless, able to incorporate the recent findings of Alexander Mackenzie. In 1789, Mackenzie had been commissioned by the North-West Fur Company of Canada (a rival of the Hudson Bay Company) to explore the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Arctic. Mackenzie’s tour of some 2,990 miles was achieved in the astonishing period of 120 days, from Slave Lake to the Arctic shore and back. Mackenzie’s atlas, which was published with the account of Vancouver’s Pacific voyages in 1798, provided much of the coastal detail for Arrowsmith’s highly accurate depictions of British-controlled western Canada and Russian Alaska.

Please contact Arader Galleries San Francisco (tel: 415.788.5115) with any additional questions about this amazing map.