Catesby positions this heron at a marsh's edge, one foot lifted mid-step, its slate-and-cobalt plumage rendered in some of the most saturated color in his entire Natural History — a striking result from a hand-colored etching process that could vary considerably in intensity from copy to copy, since each plate was colored individually after printing, not mechanically reproduced. Catesby's decision to include a strip of habitat — cattails, open water, a rise of ground — rather than isolating the bird against blank paper reflects his broader project: he wasn't just cataloguing species, he was trying to document an entire unfamiliar ecosystem for a European audience that had never seen the American South. What to notice: the heron's articulated, individually clawed toes are drawn with the same care as its feathers — Catesby trained first as a working naturalist, not a decorative artist, and it shows in details a purely ornamental painter might have simplified.

Maker: Mark Catesby
Date: 1731–1743
Medium of the original: Plate
Original held by: Wikimedia Commons
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Rights: Public domain, verified
Catalogue number: PA-00285

As chosen: 18 x 24 in, art print, classic frame
Picture	18 x 24 in
Outside size	19.6 x 25.6 in
Depth	0.9 in (22 mm)
Weight	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: shipped weight per size and frame]]
Hanging	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: hanging hardware Prodigi fits to this frame]]
Material	Enhanced matte art paper, 200 gsm; acrylic glazing
Made in	Charlotte, North Carolina, by Prodigi

Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.

How the print check works

Sizes offered
Size	dpi	Grade	How it fits
8 x 10 in	361	Excellent	Trimmed 9.7%
8 x 12 in	333	Excellent	Trimmed 7.7%
11 x 14 in	262	Excellent	Trimmed 8.1%
12 x 16 in	240	Excellent	Trimmed 3.7%
12 x 18 in	222	Excellent	Trimmed 7.7%
16 x 20 in	180	Good	Trimmed 9.7%
16 x 24 in	166	Good	Trimmed 7.7%
18 x 24 in	160	Good	Trimmed 3.7%

Sizes withheld
Size	Why
20 x 30 in	133 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
24 x 30 in	120 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
24 x 36 in	111 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
30 x 40 in	96 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
36 x 48 in	80 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
40 x 60 in	66 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged

Scanned: 2026-10-07
Master file: 2,889 x 4,000 px, srgb
Tone: Darks 54, lights 212 of 255; 0% clipped light, 0% clipped dark
Colour: 0% vivid
Sharpness: 9.69