Ptarmigan nesting, in summer plumage

Settling in London in 1884, Prussian-born Joseph Wolf is perhaps best known for producing illustrations for the celebrated ornithologist John Gould (1804-1881), the Royal Zoological Society and Charles Darwin (1809-1882). He was highly regarded by his peers, with Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) describing him as 'the best all-round animal painter who ever lived'. The young Archibald Thorburn (1860-1935) was a regular visitor to Wolf's studio, describing his work as 'not only faultless as regards truth to nature, but there is, besides, an indescribable feeling of life and movement never attained by any other artist...This shows not only his great power of observation, but also how much poetry there is in his nature' (A.H. Palmer, The Life of Joseph Wolf, London and New York, 1895, p. 286).