William Lewin (1747 - 1795)

William Lewin

William Lewin was a British naturalist, ornithologist and illustrator.

Lewin for 20 years observed various birds and made sketches. And in 1789, with the help of his three sons, he began publishing a multi-volume work entitled "The Birds of Great Britain and their Eggs". It is truly a monumental work: 7 volumes, 323 hand-colored watercolor and gouache drawings of birds and their eggs. They were all painted by Levin himself for the first 60 subscribers to the publication. He did not complete the second edition, a more detailed one, and after his death his sons completed the publication.

This work is considered one of the rarest of all English bird books. Lewin's birds are depicted much more vividly and realistically than those of earlier artists, as he painted mainly from life rather than relying on specimens. Lewin also produced a volume on butterflies, where they are systematized and careful illustrations are drawn from life.