Pair of Little Bitterns in a Reed Bed, Plate CLIV after Lilian Medland, c. 1909

This is an original antique bird print, a photogravure printed in black and gray tones without added color. It shows two Little Bitterns among reeds. In front, an adult male stands on the mud at the foot of the reed bed facing the viewer's right, with the black crown and back, the large pale patch on the wing and the long pointed bill clearly drawn. Behind him, a second bird in streaked plumage, the dress of the female or young bird, stands upright among the reed stems with its bill pointed to the sky, the concealing pose these birds take when alarmed.

The plate is lettered "PLATE CLIV" at lower right and "2/3 scale" at lower center, the scale at which the bird is drawn. The artist's signature, "L. M. Medland", is drawn into the image. No species name is printed on the plate; the identification given here is made from the drawing itself.

The plate comes from The Birds of the British Islands by Charles Stonham, published in London by E. Grant Richards in five volumes between 1906 and 1911. This plate belongs to the third volume. The illustrations were drawn by Lilian M. Medland and reproduced by photogravure, a photomechanical intaglio process that carries the soft gradations of a wash drawing and leaves a plate mark around the image. Stonham's text follows the birds in systematic order, and this volume moves through the cormorants, gannet, herons, storks, ibis and spoonbill to the geese and ducks.

The monochrome image suits a simple frame with a wide mat, and it works well alone or alongside other plates from the same volume.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.