John Bird
(1709-1776), Astronomical instrument makerSitter in 2 portraits
Bird trained as a watchmaker in Bishop Auckland. By 1745 he had set up his own workshop in London making astronomical instruments. He made the first brass mural quadrant with an eight-foot radius for the Royal Observatory between 1749 and 1750 and received orders for quadrants from other European observatories. This instrument, mounted on a wall, was important in assessing the time it took for stars to cross the sky.
by and published by Valentine Green, after C. Lewis
mezzotint, published 2 December 1776
NPG D733
by and published by Valentine Green, after C. Lewis
mezzotint, published 1776
NPG D18823
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.