Oreotrochilus leucopleurus (White-sided Hillstar).

From A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds, 6 vols., large folio. Published in London, 1849–1887. Printed by Hullmandel and Walter from drawings by J. Gould, H. C. Richter, and William Hart, lithographed by the artists.

The White-sided Hillstar is a hardy Andean hummingbird, adapted to the cold, windswept slopes of South America’s high mountain ranges. Distinguished by its white flanks, iridescent green upperparts, and violet crown, the species is depicted by Gould in its native alpine setting—perched among coarse mountain vegetation against a clear, luminous background. The artist’s delicate use of hand-applied color and metallic pigment captures the bird’s subtle iridescence and the crisp atmosphere of its habitat, lending the plate both scientific accuracy and a quiet grandeur.

John Gould’s Monograph of the Trochilidae stands among the most celebrated works of nineteenth-century natural history illustration. Produced over nearly forty years, it brought together Gould’s field expertise with the refined artistry of Henry Constantine Richter and William Hart. The White-sided Hillstar plate embodies their collaborative excellence—uniting precise observation with painterly elegance to honor one of the most resilient and beautifully adapted species of the hummingbird family.