Joseph Wolf was the most celebrated animal illustrator of the nineteenth century. He was born in Morz, Germany to a farming family. He was a naturalist, animal artist and lithographer. He moved to England in 1848, where he was commissioned by John Gould to produce illustrations, followed by commissions from the Royal Zoological Society. He illustrated many natural history books and scientific treatises, including for Charles Darwin. The watercolours and lithographs of mammals and birds sealed Wolf's reputation to such an extent that he became the illustrator of choice for returning explorers eager to publish their adventures, including Dr David Livingstone, Sir Richard Burton and Alfred Wallace. Wolf’s art broke the mould of conventional animal portraiture and entered new territory by depicting nature as itself.