Phasianus Soemmeringii, Temminck
Type I (Image in Box Frame)

Click the picture for image
of complete lithograph

The bird in the lithograph is the Phasianus Soemmeringii, Temminck. This pheasant was only found in Japan at the time of the expedition. The lithograph shows the male (on the left) and the female (on the right).

This is a hand-colored lithograph. Other lithographs in the Narrative have color but they were not hand-colored. Rather, they were printed with color in the lithograph process. The Narrative contains only 12 hand-colored lithographs (6 birds, 4 scenes, 2 shells) and they are all found in Volume 2. There are also 10 steel engravings (fish) in volume II.

Volume 2 of the Narrative is composed of a series of reports, most by expedition members on the topography, geology, botany, agriculture, and resources of the countries visited.

This hand-colored lithograph is from the section entitled Birds, A. -- Birds Collected in Japan. This report in Volume II was prepared by John Cassin, a member of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. Cassin was this country's first serious bird taxonomist and is considered by many naturalists the most informed ornithologist of his era in the United States.

The titles/lettering read:

• Plate 2 _ Ornithology


• Lith of Wm E Hithcock, Philada


• PHASIANUS SOEMMERINGII (TEMMINCK)

Bottom edge (binding edge) is ragged with pieces missing at right and left. Faint print foxing on face. Nice crisp and sharp colors. Uper corners have pieces missing. While I classify this lithograph as below standard, I believe it would look great matted and framed. The text foxing is not that visible from a few feet away and matting would mask the bottom edge condition. Paper thickness is 9+mm.

Landscape Format

Page Size (cm): 28.7x22.3cm

Image Size (cm): Width-22.6, Height-14.8, Diagonal-26.9