# Daniel Giraud Elliot artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/daniel-giraud-elliot/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T03:39:47.239Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Movements: 19th-century natural history illustration
- Common media: Hand-colored lithographs, Chromolithographs

## About Daniel Giraud Elliot

Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835–1915) was an American zoologist, ornithologist, and natural history illustrator whose lavish plate monographs remain highly sought after by collectors and institutions. A founder of the American Ornithologists' Union, Elliot combined scientific rigor with the grand tradition of 19th-century natural history publishing. He led expeditions to Africa and Alaska and served as the first curator of zoology at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. His major works—including monographs on pheasants, hornbills, birds of paradise, and wild cats—featured large-format hand-colored lithographs produced with leading illustrators and printers of the era. Collectors encounter Elliot's work primarily through these deluxe plate volumes and individual prints that appear at auction.

## Common works and media

Elliot's most commonly encountered works at auction are individual hand-colored lithograph plates from his major monographs—particularly the Phasianidae (pheasants), Felidae (wild cats), Bucerotidae (hornbills), and Paradiseidae (birds of paradise). Plates typically depict a single species rendered at life scale against minimal backgrounds, often with vivid coloration. Bound volumes, title pages, and complete or partial monograph sets also appear, along with plates from The North American Shore Birds and other illustrated works. Mediums include hand-colored lithography and chromolithography on large-format paper.

## Market and appraisal context

Elliot's works appear regularly at auction as individual hand-colored lithograph plates, bound plate volumes, and complete monograph sets. Value depends on the specific monograph series, plate subject (large game birds and big cats tend to attract stronger bidding), condition of the hand-coloring, and whether the print comes from a first-edition run. Complete or near-complete copies of his major monographs are uncommon and command significant premiums. Buyers should verify edition, printing method, and coloring authenticity, as later reproductions and restrikes circulate in the market.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with public auction records, auction-house catalogue context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. For Daniel Giraud Elliot, identity and biographical data are grounded in Wikidata, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Library of Congress authority files, supplemented by encyclopedic sources. Market observations reflect general auction-house patterns and are not price estimates.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q383324
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Giraud_Elliot
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500017599
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/18001598/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79117154