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Iridescence: John Gould’s Hummingbirds

May 27, 2017 - August 27, 2017
John Gould Hummingbird prints Trochilus alexandri

This collection of avian artworks by John Gould includes 80 antique prints from c. 1861. This J Gould exhibition will highlight a recent acquisition and give visitors an in-depth look at a single artist prominent in the wildlife art field. The collection includes all 20 hummingbirds known to exist in North America at that time, plus 60 other hummingbirds from around the world.

About John Gould (From 2017 “Call of the Wild”)
By the age of 23 John Gould was the curator and preserver of the Zoological Society of London. Less than four years later he published his first book about birds. Over his sixty-year career, Gould produced approximately three thousand plates of birds. More an ornithologist and an expert in taxidermy than a fine artist, Gould worked with artists including his wife Elizabeth Gould, Edward Lear, Joseph Wolf, and William Matthew Hart to produce the images that appeared in his books. It was work by Gould—identifying many of the specimens that Charles Darwin brought back to England with him from the Galapagos Islands as unique species—that was a cornerstone in Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Soundscape Experience within the Exhibition:
Thomas Rex Beverly is a field recordist who created the soundscape currently playing in Iridescence: John Gould’s Hummingbirds. The soundscape is titled: “Iridescence: A Day in the Life of a Hummingbird,” and is a delightful 15 minute composition of sounds including: hummingbirds flying, a thunderstorm, wind, and crickets chirping.

Listen to the full soundscape below:

John Gould Hummingbird prints Trochilus alexandri
John Gould (British, 1804-1881), "Trochilus alexandri: Purple-throated hummingbird", c. 1855. Hand-colored Lithograph on paper, 20 x 28 in. Gift of John R. Moore, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
John Gould (British, 1804-1881), "Eutoxeres aquila: White-tipped sicklebill", c. 1855. Hand-colored Lithograph on paper, 22 x 30 in. Gift of John R. Moore, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
John Gould Hummingbird prints Trochilus alexandri
John Gould (British, 1804-1881), "Selasphorus floresii: Floresi's Flamebearer", c. 1855. Hand-colored Lithograph on paper, 22 x 30 in. Gift of John R. Moore, National Museum of Wildlife Art.
Other Exhibits
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State of the Art: Student Art Show in Honor of Marion Buchenroth

Through May 4, 2025

This youth art exhibit is an annual collaboration between the National Museum of Wildlife Art and art educators from Teton County schools. The several hundred works of art on display beautifully demonstrate how students grow as artists as they move through grades K-12.

See the Exhibit
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Out of the Shadows: Prints from the Permanent Collection

Through April 27, 2025

Dürer, Rembrandt, Goya, Picasso, Warhol—while many of the works in this show may be small in size, they are created by some of the biggest names in the canon of art history.

See the Exhibit
What People Are Saying
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"Not only was the museum interesting, the all gender bathroom was great. Thank you for thinking about LGBTQ and disabled people!"
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"An amazing collection of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts that preserve and celebrate the beauty of the natural world and wildlife. I was thoroughly impressed!"
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"What an amazing and inspiring collection. A lovely way to spend time in Jackson Hole!"
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