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 "Partridges in Early Morning, 1910 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Shrew, Lesser Shrew & Water Shrew, from 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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.jpg "Studies of head, foot and wing of male goshawk, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Park Cattle by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "A Woodcock and Chicks by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Hoopoes 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 "Long Tailed Duck by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Rabbit, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Mountain Hare in winter, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Killer, Pilot Whale by Archibald 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 "Rabbit by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sporting Subjects, Woodcock Dropping into Cover by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Mountain Hare and the Irish Hare in autumn, from Thorburn")
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_from_Birds_of_the_British_Isles_and_Their_Egg_-_(MeisterDrucke-382318).jpg "Grey Phalarope (summer and autumn), 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 "Green Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Common Hare, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Lapwing, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Pectoral Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs 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 "White-beaked Dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Common Dolphin 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 "Collared Pratincloe, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Temmincks Stint, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Curlew Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs 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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 - (MeisterDrucke-147767).jpg "Three English Partridges, 1910 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Chinese Ring-necked Pheasants in the Snow 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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.jpg "Ptarmigan by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Snipe, 1923 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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.jpg "Great Bustard, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_Irish_Hare_-_(MeisterDrucke-659225).jpg "Mountain Hare (Autumn), Irish Hare by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Alexandrine Rat and Black Rat, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Hobby, Merlin, Red Footed Falcon, Lesser Kestrel and Kestrel by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Shag 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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 - (MeisterDrucke-180107).jpg "Barn Owl, 1916 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Field Vole, Bank Vole and Orkney Vole, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sooty Shearwater by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Roseate Tern by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Rorqual, Sibbald")
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.jpg "Black Tailed Godwit, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Snow Goose by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Purple Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Tufted Duck by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Lesser Horseshoe Bat and Greater Horseshoe Bat, 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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.jpg "White-Beaked Dolphin, Bottle-Nosed Dolphin and Common Dolphin, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Stoat, Weasel, Badger and Mole by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1502514).jpg "Bewick")
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.jpg "St Kilda House Mouse and Common Mouse, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Red Necked Grebe by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Teal by Archibald Thorburn")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-152810).jpg "Red Grouse on the Moor by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1020024).jpg "Harrier and ruff, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Smew by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Guillemots and Puffins on the Island of Handa by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Fox, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Hare by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-964077).jpg "Whiskered bat, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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_Common_Pochard_(male_and_female)_Red-Crested_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495622).jpg "Ferruginous Duck (male and female), Common Pochard (male and female), Red-Crested Pochard by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Squirrel by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Christmas Visitors, Fieldfares by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Yellow Necked Mouse and St Kilda Woodmouse, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Great Shearwater 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 "Scaup by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Atlantic Right Whale, Humpbacked Whale by Archibald Thorburn")
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_Gadwall_(male_and_female)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485297).jpg "Tufted Duck (male and female), Gadwall (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Whooper Swan by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Gannet by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Eider by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Terns, a Sheltered Corner by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485337).jpg "Hawfinch, Linnet (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Ringed Seal and Harp Seal, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495570).jpg "Common Heron, Purple Heron by Archibald Thorburn")
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_Harlequin_Duck_(male_and_female)_Hooded_-_(MeisterDrucke-1485260).jpg "Red-Breasted Merganser (male and female), Harlequin Duck (male and female), Hooded Merganser (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Woodcock in the Undergrowth by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Hooded Seal and Bearded Seal, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Bewick")
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.jpg "Mobbing a Wood-Owl by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Serotine and Leisler")
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.jpg "Fulmar by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Bean Goose by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495636).jpg "Tree-Sparrow, Bullfinch (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Spotted Redshank, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Little Grebe by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495639).jpg "Red-Backed Shrike (male and female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "King Eider by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Dormouse, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Dotterell, 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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_1918_-_(MeisterDrucke-314658).jpg "Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) 1918 by Archibald Thorburn")
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