William Matthew Hart (1830-1908)

William Matthew Hart was born in Limerick, Ireland, and the family seems to have retained some connection with Ireland, because his first son was also born in Limerick in 1856. However, at the time of his marriage in 1855, the family had settled in London, where his father, also named William Matthew Hart, was described as a watercolor artist (Jackson 1987, 237). The births of the rest of the son’s numerous children occurred at London addresses. According to family history, William Matthew Hart the younger wanted to study medicine but had to give up the idea due to lack of funds. He was also interested in natural history and must have learned something of watercolor techniques from his father.

In 1851 Hart began work hand coloring the printed plates for Gould’s books. He and Gould shared a liking for intensely colored birds, such as Gould’s popular display of mounted humming-birds at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Gould chose Hart to color the pattern plates (models for the colorers to copy) for and to execute the metallic highlights on the plates for A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds (1849-1861) (Jackson 1975, 50) (Fig. 1).

Another major project on which Hart worked was Birds of Great Britain, a book issued in 25 parts 1862-1873. The 22nd part, issued in September 1872, marked his venture into copying the drawings onto the lithographic plates (Figs. 2, 3, and 4). Some of the plates in the 2nd edition of the Monograph of the Trogonidae also bear the credit “J Gould & W. Hart del et lith” (Jackson 1975, 51). Whereas Hart’s profession was listed in the 1871 population census as a print colorer, in the 1881 census he described himself as a “lithographer & print colorer” (Jackson 1987, 239). He colored bird books by other authors, as well.

Watercolor and oil paintings of birds by Hart survive, and Gould was the proud owner of a painting by Hart of a trout that Gould had caught. However, Hart was not given full credit for drawing the birds in Gould publications until employed by R.B. Sharpe on Gould supplements published after Gould’s death (Figs. 5 and 6). In these and other books on which Hart was employed by Sharpe, the illustrations are boldly executed and colored. Hart drew less accurately than Richter and was less skilled at lithographic drawing but paid great attention to background details, such as leaves (Jackson 1975, 55).

SELECTED REFERENCES:

1975. E. Jackson. Bird Illustrators: Some Artists in Early Lithography. London: H.F. & G. Witherby, 1975.

Christine E. Jackson, “W Hart – John Gould’s second unknown bird artist,” Archives of Natural History, 14, no. 3 (1987) 237-241.

LIST OF FIGURES:

Fig. 1. Crimson Topaz / Topaza pella. Lithographic print hand-colored by William Matthew Hart (with iridescent gold at the throat), although his work is not credited. Credited:” J. Gould and H.C. Richter, del. et lith.” A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds, 1861. Vol. 2, plate 25. Call number: Ellis Aves H90

Fig. 2. Kentish Plover / Aegialophilus. William Matthew Hart. Pencil; watercolor. Call number: Gould Drawing 57

Fig. 3. Kentish Plover / Aegialophilus. William Matthew Hart. Pencil drawing on tissue paper for transfer to lithographic stone. Call number: Gould Drawing 1593

Fig. 4. . Kentish Plover / Aegialophilus. Credited: “J. Gould & W. Hart, del. et lith.” Birds of Great Britain, 1873. Vol. 4, plate 40. Call number: Ellis Aves H131

Fig. 5. Black-cheeked Cat-bird / Aelurodus melanotis. William Matthew Hart. Signed: “W. Hart 1894.” Watercolor. Call number: Gould Drawing 1019

Fig. 6. Black-cheeked Cat-bird / Aelurodus melanotis. William Matthew Hart. Credited: “W. Hart del. et lith.” Richard Bowdler Sharpe. Monograph of the Paraiseidae, or Birds of Paradise and Ptilonorhynchidae, or Bower-birds. London: H. Sotheran, 1891-1898. Vol. 2, plate 32. Call number: Ellis Aves H127