Background:

These hand-colored Mammal prints are from a late-1800s edition of the Animal Kingdom, the best known work of the French naturalist Georges Cuvier.

The illustrations are by Thomas Landseer (1795-1880), a member of the famous Landseer family of artists in Great Britain.  His father John was an engraver and painter, and his younger brother Sir Edwin became one of the most popular painters of the 19th century.  Thomas Landseer studied under Benjamin Robert Haydon.  In addition to producing many original etchings, he devoted much of his career to engravings of his brother's most famous paintings.