Yellow rumped Pardalote by John Gould Art Print Brown
Spotless Egret by John Gould Art Print Oak

Spotless Egret by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Mistletoebird by John Gould Art Print Oak

Mistletoebird by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
White headed Osprey by John Gould Art Print Brown

White-headed Osprey by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Hooded Magpies by John Gould Art Print Black

Hooded Magpies by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Blue breasted Quail by John Gould Art Print Brown

Blue-breasted Quail by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Turkestan Sparrows by John Gould Art Print Brown

Turkestan Sparrows by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Gould's Wood Nymph Hummingbirds Art Print Brown

Gould's Wood Nymph Hummingbirds Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Common Crossbills by John Gould Art Print Brown

Common Crossbills by John Gould Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95
Racket Tail Hummingbirds by John Gould Art Print Oak
Vintage Pineapple Botanical Study Art Print Brown

Vintage Pineapple Botanical Study Art Print

Sale price From £11.95 £19.95

More Fab art curations

Buying hand-coloured prints: FAQs

Short answers on colour and character, framed versus unframed, delivery and changing your mind

Need more help? Contact our team here

What is a hand-coloured lithograph?

A lithograph is an image printed from a stone or plate onto paper. In a hand-coloured lithograph, the printed image comes off the press in monochrome and colour is then applied by hand with watercolours, often following a single coloured master print as a guide. The method was popular in the Victorian era because it gave soft, subtle tones. Reproductions like these recreate that look for everyday wall display.

What's the difference between an art print and a lithograph?

"Lithograph" describes a specific printing process, where the image is transferred from a prepared stone or metal plate onto paper. "Art print" is the broader term for any printed artwork, whatever the method. So a lithograph is one kind of art print. What we offer are modern decorative reproductions of lithographic imagery, printed for wall display rather than produced on antique stones.

How is hand colouring different from colour lithography?

Hand colouring means a monochrome print was tinted afterwards by hand, usually in watercolour, which is why tones look soft and slightly uneven. Colour lithography, including chromolithography, builds the colour into the printing itself by running the sheet through multiple inked stones or plates. Artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec pushed colour lithography forward around 1890. Hand-coloured imagery tends to read as gentler and more antique.