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 "Chinese Ring-necked Pheasants in the Snow by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Partridges in Early Morning, 1910 by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496014).jpg "Fieldfare, Redwing by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Shrew, Lesser Shrew & Water Shrew, from 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 "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 "Hoopoes by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Hare 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 "Green 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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_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")
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.jpg "The Common Hare, 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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 - (MeisterDrucke-147767).jpg "Three English Partridges, 1910 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Black Winged Stilt, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs published by Frederick Warne & Co Ltd, 1958 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 "The Pine Marten, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Pheasant, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 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 "Great Bustard, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1509383).jpg "Whiskered Tern, Black-Headed Gull (summer) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Badgers, from 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 "Hobby, Merlin, Red Footed Falcon, Lesser Kestrel and Kestrel by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Brown Rat, from Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1508596).jpg "Brambling, Chaffinch (Male and Female) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Atlantic White Whale and Humped Back Whale, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1506373).jpg "Buff-Backed Heron, Great White Heron, Little Egret by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Natterer")
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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 "Fox, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Red Deer, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Polecat, from Thorburn")
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_Common_Redshank_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496079).jpg "Spotted Redshank (summer and autumn), Common Redshank by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Blackcock studies, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 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 "Avocet, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_Yellow_Bunting_or_Yellow_Hammer_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496049).jpg "Reed-Bunting (male and female), Yellow Bunting or Yellow Hammer by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Hedgehog, Nature in Britain by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Dormouse, from 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 "Purple Sandpiper, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sporting Subjects, Wildfowl on the Mud Flats by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Wigeon, Scaup and Eider Duck by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Mole with Worm, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1505584).jpg "White-Fronted Goose, Bernacle Goose by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Brent Goose by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Wild Cattle, pub. by Book Club Associates, 1972 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Woodcock, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs published by Frederick Warne & Co Ltd, 1958 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Weasel, from Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1020012).jpg "Petrels, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Rabbit, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Leach")
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_Black-Throated_Wheatear_Desert-Wheatear_(colour_l_-_(MeisterDrucke-1500480).jpg "Eastern Pied Wheatear (female), Black-Throated Wheatear, Desert-Wheatear by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Pipistrelle or Common Bat, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Redshank, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs 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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_Shag_(adult_and_immature)_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1496043).jpg "Cormorant (adult and immature), Shag (adult and immature) by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Manx Shearwater by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495576).jpg "Icterine Warbler, Rufous Warbler 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 "Albatross, Petrels, Shearwater, Fulmar, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Ring Dove, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Snipe, 1923 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "St Kilda House Mouse and Common Mouse, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sporting Subjects, Woodcock Dropping into Cover by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Oyster Catcher, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs published by Frederick Warne & Co Ltd, 1958 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Greenshank, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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_Stellers_Eider_(male_and_female)_(colou_-_(MeisterDrucke-1505332).jpg "King-Eider, Surf-Scoter (Male and Female), Steller")
_Stellers_Eider_(male_and_female)_(colou_-_(MeisterDrucke-1505332).jpg)
.jpg "Sanderling, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Common Rorqual, Sibbald")
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.jpg "Long Tailed Duck by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1010403).jpg "Black Rat and Orkney Vole, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-964079).jpg "Peregrine falcon male, c.1915 by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Kentish Plover, from Birds of the British Isles and Their Eggs by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Killer Pilot Whale, from Thorburn")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-149371).jpg "Two English Partridges by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Iceland Falcon and Greenland Falcon by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Barnacle and White Fronted Geese by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "The Stoat, from Thorburn")
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.jpg "Sporting Subjects, Through the Deep Drift by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1508859).jpg "Rook, Jackdaw by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1020024).jpg "Harrier and ruff, c.1915 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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_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 "Golden Eagle by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Bearded Titmouse by Archibald Thorburn")
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_(colour_litho)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1495611).jpg "Ivory Gull, Black Guillemot (summer) by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1505148).jpg "Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Wood-Sandpiper by Archibald Thorburn")
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.jpg "Bar Tailed Godwit, 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 "Woodmouse by Archibald Thorburn")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1641679).jpg "Partridge and a Goldfinch in a Winter Landscape by Archibald Thorburn")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1641679).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1505963).jpg "Wood-Wren, Willow-Wren, Chiffchaff by Archibald 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 "Mistle Thrush, Black Throated Thrush, Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Redwing 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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