Great Curassow

Artist Frederick K. Coulson (American, 1869–1931)

DateAugust 3, 1893

Mediumcyanotype on cream wove paper

Dimensions24.8 x 29.2 cm (sheets), 25.4 x 20.5 x 2.0 cm (bound)

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineEliza S. Paine Fund

Object number2010.271.99

DescriptionPhotograph from an album of 208 cyanotypes on cream wove paper.

This great curassow appears to have been photographed in one of Salisbury's barns or greenhouses. About the size of a pheasant, the great curassow is native to Central and South America. Like many of the tropical plants in Salisbury's greenhouses, this bird reflects Stephen III's interest in Mesoamerica, where he sponsored numerous archeological excavations. The great curassow would also have been of interest to John Coulson, one of Worcester County's leadin birders.
–"Frederick Coulson: Blueprints of a Golden Age," by James A. Welu, p.29, plate 8
ProvenanceLee Gallery, Winchester, MA

On View

Not on view