Kingfishers Greetings Card | Packs of 10/20/50
A high quality greetings card printed on Mohawk fine art paper of a pair of Kingfishers, painted by wildlife painter Peter Paillou (c.1720 – c.1790) in the mid-18th Century.
Kingfisher Card On Museum-Quality Cardstock
Our bring Kingfisher greetings card the Kingfisher to life on the cover of every card, with vivid, richly detailed artwork suited to any occasion, whether that's a birthday, Christmas, a thank you, a get well soon, or simply to say hello. Each card is printed on premium 324gsm Mohawk cardstock using giclée printing, which reproduces the fine detail, natural colouring and texture of the Kingfisher's plumage and features with exceptional clarity.
This museum-quality, acid-free card is designed to last. The risk of fading is drastically reduced compared with most greetings cards, making it a keepsake worth keeping rather than discarding after the occasion has passed.
These versatile 4in x 6in (102mm x 152mm) cards have a blank interior, so you can personalise your message for any event throughout the year. Every Kingfisher greetings card comes with a brown craft envelope, adding a rustic charm and a more environmentally friendly alternative to standard white envelopes.
Available in packs of 10, 20 or 50 to suit your needs.
*Please note that the lower-resolution images shown on our website are for illustrative purposes only. The Kingfisher Greetings Cards themselves are produced using high-resolution imagery for a crisp, clear finish.
Discover the full range of Kingfisher greetings cards and bring a piece of fine art into everyday correspondence.
Kingfisher Card Dimensions & Properties
- Size: 4in x 6in (102mm x 152mm).
- Card: 324gsm Mohawk fine art card stock featuring a design on the front cover.
- Interior: Blank, so you can personalise and send the card for any occasion.
- Envelopes: Brown craft envelopes.
- Quantity: Available in packs of 10, 20 or 50 greetings cards.
The Taylor White Collection's 18th Century Watercolour Painting of the Kingfisher
Our Kingfisher comes from the original collection of Taylor White F.R.S. (1701-1772). In the mid-18th Century, White commissioned the celebrated wildlife painter Peter Paillou (c.1720 - c.1790) to paint a number of specimens for his collection. The watercolour of the Kingfisher was among the works Paillou produced for White.
The original Kingfisher watercolour is finely painted, with remarkable detail, allowing the plumage and features of the Kingfisher to be seen in stunning clarity. This depth of colour and detail has been captured brilliantly through the digitisation process and is replicated here for your home or office decor, or as a thoughtful gift.
Taylor White, a barrister by profession and later Puisne Judge for Chester, was a keen naturalist and Fellow of the Royal Society, elected in 1725. Over nearly forty years from the 1730s until his death in 1772, he commissioned 938 watercolours of birds, mammals, fish and reptiles, including the Kingfisher, now held at McGill University and painted almost entirely by two artists, Charles Collins and Peter Paillou. White was a founding governor of The Foundling Hospital in London and served as its treasurer for the last twenty-five years of his life. His well-connected social and scientific circle gave his artists exceptional access to specimens: his second wife, Frances Armstrong, was the daughter of General John Armstrong, Governor of the Tower of London and Chief Royal Engineer, and White's artists painted the lions, wolves and other animals of the Royal Menagerie there. He also borrowed specimens from the British Museum, and received rare and exotic birds from friends, including the naturalist Joseph Banks, who sailed to Newfoundland in 1766, and William Harrison, who brought back specimens from voyages testing his father's marine chronometer.
About The Kingfisher
An 18th Century watercolour of the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) by Peter Paillou, from the Taylor White Collection.
A small bird of rivers, lakes and streams across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and the Middle East, the kingfisher is more often glimpsed as a flash of blue over the water than properly seen. Adults measure 16 to 19 cm, the male with an azure-blue back and head, the female greener above, both with warm orange underparts. They hunt by diving headfirst from an overhanging perch, and nest in tunnels excavated into soft riverbanks.
Paillou painted from close observation, at a time when British natural history illustration was moving towards genuine scientific record. Plumage and posture are reported accurately rather than arranged for effect, and the study remains a reliable likeness some two and a half centuries on.
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