A Large Rare Victorian Taxidermy Bird Display of Central/South American Birds, by Henry Ward, depicting a diverse collection of tropical birds including Yellow Rumped Cacique (Cacicus cela), Scarlet Tanager (Piranger olivacea), Red Capped Cardinal (Paroaria gularis), Fairy Bluebird (Irena), Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga cayana), Pompadour Cotinga (Xipholena punicea) and many more species, mounted on a naturalistic setting of tree branches, grasses and foliage, set against a painted back ground and side panels, enclosed within a single-glass ebonised case raised upon four ball feet, 92cm by 28cm by 99cm excluding bun feet, bearing original label to interior, approx 73 birds in total

Henry Ward (1812-78) trained with T M Williams, taxidermist of Oxford Street, London, who exhibited at The Great Exhibition 1851. Ward eventually took over the business and ran it in his own name between 1857-1878. In this time Henry Ward became great friends with artist and naturalist painter John James Audubon who accompanied Henry Ward on expeditions to South America. Cases bearing Henry Ward's own label were probably produced between 1857-1878.