Cayley and Son The Life and Art of Neville Henry Cayley and Neville William Cayley

About this book

Cayley and Son charts the lives and works of Australian bird artists Neville Henry Cayley (1854-1903) and his son Neville William (1886-1950). Peripatetic, often impecunious, and with a reputation for hard drinking, Neville Henry was nevertheless a highly talented artist, whose dreams of publishing a ”big bird book' – a comprehensive publication on Australian birds – never came to fruition. His son Neville William was also a keen artist. 'Buoyant’ in personality, sometimes outspoken and argumentative, he was a pioneer of the surf lifesaving movement before turning his attention to the painting of birds. Taking a more scientific approach than his father, he was to complete the classic field guide known to bird enthusiasts throughout Australia: What Bird ls That?.

From the depictions of gamebirds in Neville Henry’s work, to his son’s focus on conservation and education, the history of the two men is also a social history of Australia, and their work can be read as a barometer of changing attitudes to wildlife and its conservation.

Cayley and Son features a biographical essay on each of the two men, followed by a portfolio of their paintings. With over 100 colour plates of works from the collections of the National Library of Australia, it is a book for art- and bird-lovers alike.

 

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Biography

Penny Olsen is a research scientist and natural history writer. Based at the Australian National University in Canberra, she is the author of numerous publications including Glimpses of Paradise: The Quest for the Beautiful Parrakeet (2007), A Brush with Birds: Bird Art in the National Library of Australia (2008) and Upside Down World: Early European Impressions of Australia's Curious Animals (2010).