Hand-Coloured Lithograph Art Prints

4.8

Before colour printing existed, plates were tinted by hand, one at a time, which is why these images still glow rather than sit flat. The tradition runs deepest in natural history, from the iridescent detail of hummingbird art prints to the ambitious folios behind John Gould bird art prints and the drama of Audubon bird art prints. Pick a plate whose palette answers a colour already in your room.

Rated 4.8 by 1,000s of customers
Hummingbird Art Prints
Hummingbird Art Prints
John Gould Bird Art Prints
John Gould Bird Art Prints
Audubon Bird Art Prints
Audubon Bird Art Prints
Vintage Bird Art Prints
Vintage Bird Art Prints
Bird Illustration Art Prints
Bird Illustration Art Prints
Birds on a Branch Art Prints
Birds on a Branch Art Prints
Minimalist Bird Art Prints
Minimalist Bird Art Prints
Japanese Bird Art Prints
Japanese Bird Art Prints
Chinoiserie Bird Art Prints
Chinoiserie Bird Art Prints
Australian Bird Art Prints
Australian Bird Art Prints
Natural History Art Prints
Natural History Art Prints
Bird Canvas Prints
Bird Canvas Prints
Atlantic Salmon by Sherman F. Denton Art Print Brown

Atlantic Salmon by Sherman F. Denton Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Indigo Bunting by John James Audubon Art Print Brown

Indigo Bunting by John James Audubon Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Sea Bass by Sherman F. Denton Art Print Black

Sea Bass by Sherman F. Denton Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Male Brook Trout by Sherman F. Denton Art Print Brown

Male Brook Trout by Sherman F. Denton Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Blue Breasted Hummingbirds by John Gould Art Print Oak

Blue-Breasted Hummingbirds by John Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Mourning Dove, 1838 Antique Bird Plate Art Print Brown

Mourning Dove, 1838 Antique Bird Plate Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
The Pickerel by Sherman F. Denton Art Print Brown

The Pickerel by Sherman F. Denton Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
Vintage Gooseberry Branch Art Print Brown

Vintage Gooseberry Branch Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95
House Sparrow by John Gould Art Print Brown

House Sparrow by John Gould Art Print

From £11.95 £19.95

More Fab art curations

John Gould Bird Canvas Prints
John Gould Bird Canvas Prints
Audubon Bird Canvas Prints
Audubon Bird Canvas Prints
Vintage Bird Canvas Prints
Vintage Bird Canvas Prints
Hand-Coloured Engraving Art Prints
Hand-Coloured Engraving Art Prints
Botanical Illustration Art Prints
Botanical Illustration Art Prints
William Morris Bird Art Prints
William Morris Bird Art Prints
Folk Art Bird Prints
Folk Art Bird Prints
Whimsical Bird Art Prints
Whimsical Bird Art Prints
Peacock Art Prints
Peacock Art Prints
Parrot Art Prints
Parrot Art Prints
Butterfly Art Prints
Butterfly Art Prints
Bird Art Prints
Bird Art Prints
Animal Art Prints
Animal Art Prints

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.