Johannes Gerardus Keulemans artwork • watercolour • drawing • previously for sale A robin in a snowy landscape

Johannes Gerardus Keulemans was a passionate naturalist from an early age. At the age of 19 he started working as a draftsman for the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden (now Naturalis). A few years later he was sent on an expedition to West Africa to discover and draw new bird species. From 1869 Keulemans worked in England, where many large ornithological reference works were produced in the 19th century. After being asked by the British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe to make illustrations for his 'Monograph on Kingfishers' (1868-1871), John Gerrard Keulemans - as he was called - became one of the most famous bird illustrators of his time. He was less known in the Netherlands. His 'Our Birds in House and Garden' (3 parts) appeared there, containing, in addition to illustrations, extensive descriptions of each bird species.