Archibald Thorburn is known for his detailed depictions of wild birds. Occasionally he also painted other animals, but mostly the bird life of Scotland. Thorburn also captured the wild and romantic landscape in which these animals live in his masterly watercolour paintings. The works were created in different seasons, very often in autumn and winter. But even when only a section, such as blades of grass, branches or part of a body of water are visible in the picture, the season can be recognised from the colours. Thorborn's technique consisted of sketching the animals in nature and then, in the studio, colouring them. The colours are sometimes very strong, the lines fine. This is remarkable because Thorburn used watercolours. The mastery with which the pictures were painted was recognised - even as a young man Archibald Thorburn was allowed to exhibit at the British Royal Academy.
Thorburn was born in Scotland and there he often went out into nature to observe and paint birds. His role model and teacher was the illustrator Joseph Wolf, who accompanied naturalists on their expeditions to draw animals. Thus Archibald Thorburn also specialized in the depiction of animals. He illustrated several books about the British bird world, which is how most of his works were created. Thorburn himself also published books on the animal world of Britain, some of them together with the ornithologist, bird painter and writer John Guille Millais. Thorburn wrote some of his books alone, wrote the text and designed the pictures. In this way, he also created works about the wild mammals of Great Britain. He also illustrated books about hunting and fishing. However, birds dominated Thorburn's work and were his main area of interest. He was also involved in the British Society for the Protection of Birds, and was even its deputy president for several years.
To this day Archibald Thorburn is a role model for artists who deal with the representation of wild birds. This is no wonder, since Thorburn was not only a master in his field, but also a kind of pioneer in the art scene. During his lifetime, animal motifs were not particularly popular among artists. Until then, animals were mainly drawn with ink for natural history books, the illustrations were more for information than to please the eye. Archibald Thorburn combined both in touching pictures and informative books.
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.jpg "Common Shrew, Lesser Shrew & Water Shrew, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Partridges in Early Morning, 1910 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Chinese Ring-necked Pheasants in the Snow by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "A Woodcock and Chicks by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Badger, pub. by Book Club Associates by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Hare by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496014).jpg "Fieldfare, Redwing by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Studies of head, foot and wing of male goshawk, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Hoopoes by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Park Cattle by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Common Hare, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Rabbit, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Jack Snipe, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Badger by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Stone Curlew, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Lesser Horseshoe Bat and Greater Horseshoe Bat, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Chartley Bull and Chillingham Bull, from Thorburn")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-147767).jpg "Three English Partridges, 1910 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Partridges by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Snipe, 1923 by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1503677).jpg "Yellow-Browed Warbler, Pallas")
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.jpg "Purple Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-938805).jpg "Golden Eagle, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Cream Coloured Courser, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Turnstone, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Porpoise, Risso")
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.jpg "Front Dust Wrapper Design, pub. by Book Club Associates by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Green Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Stoat, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Dormouse, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Eggs: Woodcock; Snipe, Stone Curlew, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485299).jpg "Jay, Magpie by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "St Kilda House Mouse and Common Mouse, from Thorburn")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-152810).jpg "Red Grouse on the Moor by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1506373).jpg "Buff-Backed Heron, Great White Heron, Little Egret by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Grey Plover, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Ruffs and Reeves, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Red Squirrel, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sporting Subjects, Wildfowl on the Mud Flats by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Seal, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Rock Dove, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Pine Marten, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Wood Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sheld Duck by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Three colour sketches of male peregrine, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Little Egret, Buff Backed Heron, Common Heron, Purple Heron, Great White Heron by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1511406).jpg "Coal-Titmouse, Great Titmouse by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485282).jpg "Great Black-Backed Gull (adult and young) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Leach")
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_Velvet-Scoter_(male_and_female)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501378).jpg "Eider Duck (male and female), Velvet-Scoter (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
_Velvet-Scoter_(male_and_female)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1501378).jpg)
.jpg "Curlew Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Fox, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485292).jpg "Hobby (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Red Deer, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Black Tailed Godwit, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485259).jpg "Chinese Ring-Necked Pheasant (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Stock Dove, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Polecat, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Stoat, Weasel, Badger and Mole by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Weasel by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Red Breasted Snipe, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Blue Winged Teal, Garganey, Teal, Mallard and Pintail by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Fallow Deer, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Rorqual, Sibbald")
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.jpg "Weasel by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Mountain Hare in winter, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Long Tailed Duck by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495621).jpg "Common Partridge (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495621).jpg)
_from_Birds_of_the_British_Isles_and_Their_Eggs_publis_-_(MeisterDrucke-382314).jpg "Dunlin (summer and winter), from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
_from_Birds_of_the_British_Isles_and_Their_Eggs_publis_-_(MeisterDrucke-382314).jpg)
_Shag_(adult_and_immature)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496043).jpg "Cormorant (adult and immature), Shag (adult and immature) by Archibald Thorburn")
_Shag_(adult_and_immature)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496043).jpg)
_Little_Tern_(adult_and_young)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495617).jpg "Roseate Tern (adult and young), Little Tern (adult and young) by Archibald Thorburn")
_Little_Tern_(adult_and_young)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495617).jpg)
_Irish_Hare_-_(MeisterDrucke-659225).jpg "Mountain Hare (Autumn), Irish Hare by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Eider by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sporting Subjects, Through the Deep Drift by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Pheasant, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1504989).jpg "Dotterel, Ptarmigan (Male and Female, Summer) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Curlew, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Monarch of the Glen by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sooty Shearwater by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Swift, Needle Tail Swift, Red Necked Nightjar, Nightjar, Egyptian Nightjar, Alpine Swift by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Pallass Sand Grouse, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1210081).jpg "Magpie on a Branch by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Alexandrine Rat and Black Rat, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485280).jpg "Storm-Petrel, Leach")
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.jpg "Ptarmigan by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495614).jpg "Sabine")
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.jpg "Hobby, Merlin, Red Footed Falcon, Lesser Kestrel and Kestrel by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Shoveller by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Grey Seal, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Killer Pilot Whale, from Thorburn")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-180107).jpg "Barn Owl, 1916 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Badgers, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1500663).jpg "Peregrine Falcon by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "On the Wild West Coast by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1507581).jpg "Mistle-Thrush, Song-Thrush by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Manx Shearwater by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Wild Cat, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-964085).jpg "Two studies of black rat, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Field Vole, Bank Vole and Orkney Vole, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Pectoral Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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