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JOHN JAMES AUDUBON
(1785 - 1851)
John James Audubon is a legend, revered by bird watchers and art enthusiasts alike as America's preeminent naturalist and bird artist. His instantly recognizable prints adorn many homes and offices throughout the world. Audubon was born in the French colony of Santo Domingo (now Haiti), the son of Captain Jean Audubon, a French sailor and adventurer, and one of his mistresses, Jeanne Rabine, a French chambermaid, who died six months later. He was raised by his father and stepmother in Nantes, an industrial city on the Loire River in western France. Young Audubon acquired the graces of a country gentleman, received a bit of naval training, learned to love nature and wildlife, and began to draw.
The Birds of America, containing four hundred and thirty-five hand-colored plates of 1,065 individual birds faithfully etched, aquatinted, and engraved by Havell from the original works, was issued in four volumes between 1827 and 1838. The life-size depictions appeared on double-elephant folio sheets measuring more than two by three feet, accompanied by a synopsis and index. A companion five-volume Ornithological Biography, containing detailed essays on the birds, is still regarded as one of the best texts in the field.
With tireless determination, Audubon sold serial engravings of The Birds of America through individual subscriptions, a tedious, time-consuming task to which he brought romantic good looks, flamboyant salesmanship, steely resolve, and endless patience. His astute marketing and indefatigable travels ultimately led to orders for more than two hundred complete sets of the costly prints. (Originally priced at the enormous sum of one thousand dollars, first editions of The Birds of America have sold in recent years for as much as four million dollars. In October 1993, a four-volume set in fine condition crossed the auction block at Christie's in New York for more than three million dollars.)
These prints are from the Octavo Edition, called THE BIRDS OF AMERICA from Drawings Made in the United States and its Territories. It was published in seven volumes by the author and J.B. Chevalier, New York and Philadelphia, 1840-1844. Unlike the Havell edition, this was issued with text and was considerably smaller--about 10.5" x 6.5". They bear the same legend as the Havell edition except that in the lower right-hand corner, J.T. Bowen is shown as the lithographer. Rag paper with original coloring.
To the right:
Facsimile of rubber stamp imprint on the obverse of these John James Audubon prints. These prints were originally part of the collection of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Please note these works of art are matted and framed to museum standards and are guaranteed to be from the 1st edition.
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| From Left to Right: American Flamingo, Lincoln's Pinewood Finch, Canada Goose |
  
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