1854 – Arctic Foxes and Birds received by the Zoological Society

This engraving appeared as a half page feature on the front page of the November 11th, 1854 edition of “The Illustrated London News”. The caption reads: “Arctic Foxes and Birds, just received by the Zoological Society”. The drawing includes 8 foxes, 2 bears, 1 eagle, 3 owls, and 5 other birds. It continues to show us that Weir remained one of the first ports of call when it came to rendering Zoological specimens for The Illustrated London News, but he was not alone in this as many birds arriving at Regents Park, were drawn by Zwecker, or Coleman or Wood and these also appeared regularly in the news. Weir however, seem uncanny in having his creations oft-times making the front page…by the sixties, his animal drawings were regularly making the front page of a number of periodicals, especially those for young people. But his association with the Zoological Gardens remained strong for several decades, having been firmly established during the early forties with the first Poultry Shows and his interest in horticulture.  This image is available in A4, A3 and an A2 sizing option.