The Gould 'factory'

A recreation of Gould's workroom in his London house inspired by contemporary descriptions.

Almost all the functions relating to the John Gould publishing and taxidermy businesses were undertaken from his home. For 50 years, his residence was a hive of activity.

From his home at Golden Square, Soho, and later from his home and office near the British Museum, he directed his international group of specimen collectors, describing and trading the birds and mammals they sent to him. While living with his six children, Gould created preliminary sketches for his books, oversaw the work of his artists and lithographers, supervised the printing and hand-colouring of the illustrated plates and administered the promotion, sale and distribution of the finished book parts.

Gould's Artists

John Gould was more skilled as an entrepreneur and businessman than as an artist. He relied on a group of dedicated artists, lithographers and colourers to translate his preparatory sketches into finished illustrations. Yet during his lifetime and beyond, Gould has often been represented as the sole creator of the thousands of plates published in his books.

The main artists and lithographers employed by Gould to produce his works were:

A number of these artists are considered the finest practitioners of natural history art in the 19th century.

Biographies

Gould also relied very heavily on his personal secretary Edwin Prince, who was responsible for managing the day-to-day affairs of Gould's business.