Department: Ruskin

This print is of a Black-breasted hummingird (Latin name Oreotrochilus melanogaster), which is found in South America. Jean Gabriel Prêtre made the original drawing of the bird towards the illustrated book, 'Histoire Naturelle Colibris et des Oiseaux-Mouche', or 'Natural History of Hummingbirds' which was produced by René Primevère Lesson in two volumes between 1829-1833. Rene Primevere Lesson was originally a surgeon in the French Navy, but during 1822-25 was employed as a pharmacist and botanist on the round-world voyage of the ship 'La Coqualle'. From this trip, Lesson collected material for a number of books on ornithology and zoology and used artists such as Prêtre to draw official illustrations for his works from notes and the stuffed specimens. He himself produced the text before the work was published in Paris by the book publisher, Arthus Bertrand.