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Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Green Tody
General material designation
Parallel title
Jamaican Tody
Other title information
Todus todus
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Caption title.
- Parallel titles and other title information: Title from Mousley: Todus viridis
Level of description
Item
Repository
Reference code
CA RBD MSG BW002-751
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
1 watercolour painting ; 56 x 39 cm + 1 leaf
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
(approximately 1720-approximately 1790)
Biographical history
Peter Paillou was born in London into a Huguenot family and was recognised in his own time as an eminent ‘bird painter’. In 1744 he began to paint for Taylor White and worked for him for almost thirty years, painting chiefly birds and mammals. He painted as well for Robert More, Joseph Banks, and for the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. Many of his paintings of birds were used as the basis for book illustrations, often engraved by his colleague and fellow Huguenot, Peter Mazell. Paillou was elected to the Society of Artists and in 1763 he exhibited ‘A Piece of Birds, in Watercolours; the Hen of the Wood and Cock of the Red Game’. In 1778, to considerable approval, he also showed a picture of ‘A Horned Owl from Peru’, completely made from feathers.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Drawing of a pair of Jamaican Todies from 18th century specimens [modern geographical distribution: Jamaica.] Attributed to Peter Paillou.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
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Finding aids
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Accruals
General note
Manuscript note on front of drawing: Green Tody (Todus viridis)
General note
Manuscript note on back of drawing: from Jamaica
General note
Scientific name: Todus todus
Accompanying material
With manuscript text on accompanying leaf.
Accompanying material
Trochilus subulatus.
T. (brachyurus) rectirostris, rectricibus aequalibus
nigris, corpore supra viridi-aureo, subtus albido,
alis nigris.
Parvus, duas cum dimidia uncias longus ab
apice rostri ad apicem caudae. Rostrum nigrum,
rectum, subulatum, vix quatuor lineas longum.
Totus supra e viridi aureus, subtus a gula ad
caudam albicans, plumis virescentibus hinc
inde sub abdomine sparsis. Cauda aequalis,
nigra, subtus parum nitens. Alae nigricantes
longitudine caudae.
Habitat in Jamaica.
Accompanying material
Trochilus subulatus.
T. (brachyurus) rectirostris [The straight-beaked...], with equal
black flight feathers on the tail, a body that is golden-green on top
and white underneath, and black wings.
It is small, two and a half inches long from
the tip of the beak to the end of the tail. The beak is black,
straight, awl-shaped, nearly four lines long.
The upperparts are entirely coloured from green to gold, the
underparts are white from the throat to the tail, with green feathers
scattered there under the abdomen. The tail is equal,
black, and slightly shiny underneath. The wings are black,
and are as long as the tail.
It lives in Jamaica.
Alternative identifier(s)
Volume number
Birds Volume 13, Painting 31