A Swiss Crescent fancy pigeon with impressive 'muffs' (feathered feet), painted in a natural setting by British artist Joseph W Ludlow (1840-1916) for the rare 'Illustrated Book of Pigeons with Standards for Judging' (also known as 'Cassell's Pigeon Book'), written by Robert Fulton and first published in 1876 with 50 chromolithograph illustrations.
An example of the Swiss Crescent breed of fancy pigeons, depicted with impressive 'muffs' (feathered feet) by British 19th century bird artist Joseph Williamson Ludlow for the 'Illustrated Book of Pigeons with Standards for Judging', also known as 'Cassell's Pigeon Book', first published in 1876. Swiss Crescents are among numerous breeds of fancy pigeon selectively bred over many decades in Germany, Switzerland, the US and elsewhere to produce characteristics such as pointed crests, feathery neck frills, muffed feet and distinctive wing patterns. Most are bred as show birds, although some pigeon fanciers prefer to keep them as pets. Joseph Ludlow (1840-1916) specialised in portraying domestic birds, including various types of poultry. He depicted this example of the Swiss Crescent in a natural setting with two other pigeons as one of 50 paintings reproduced as chromolithographs in the book. 'The Illustrated Book of Pigeons' was published by Cassell, Petter and Galpin, written by Robert Fulton and edited by Lewis Wright. It ran to nearly 400 pages, offering pigeon fanciers comprehensive knowledge and advice on breeding and raising fancy and ornamental birds. It sold well over several editions in the 1870s and 1880s and is still regarded as a useful reference work. However, complete examples in good condition with all of the pages and colour plates intact are now very rare.
Size: 4580px × 4579px
Location: 'The Illustrated Book of Pigeons' by Robert Fulton, illustrated by Joseph Williamson Ludlow (1876)
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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