Artist · 11 prints
John James Audubon Prints
About John James Audubon
John James Audubon was an American artist and naturalist, born in 1785 in Les Cayes, in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), and raised in France. Sent to the United States in 1803, he lived near Philadelphia and later ran a store in Kentucky. After business failures left him penniless by 1819, he set himself an enormous goal: to paint every bird in North America at life size. He died in New York in 1851.
The result was The Birds of America, published in London between 1827 and 1838 as 435 hand-coloured plates, engraved and aquatinted by Robert Havell Jr. Printed on huge sheets about 39 by 26 inches, the so-called double elephant folio shows birds in lively poses within their habitats. Audubon wrote a companion text, Ornithological Biography, with the Scottish naturalist William MacGillivray. His 435 original watercolours for the book are held by the New-York Historical Society, and his last project, Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, was finished by his sons after his death.
John James Audubon prints: reproductions of the hand-coloured bird plates from The Birds of America, the life-size folio Audubon published between 1827 and 1838. The collection includes Wild Turkey (1827), American Flamingo (1838), Roseate Tern (1835), Labrador Falcon (1834) and Yellow-billed Magpie, Steller's Jay, Ultramarine Jay and Clark's Crow.
This selection leans toward seabirds and birds of prey. Terns appear often, including the Arctic, Roseate and Marsh Terns, alongside the Labrador and Iceland Falcons and a plate of western jays. Each bird is drawn at life size against a pale ground with a little of its habitat, so the plates read clearly from across a room. The collection also offers ready-made pairs and trios of tern and hawk plates for hanging together.
The pale backgrounds and natural colours suit studies, libraries, hallways and country-style kitchens, and the tall plates such as Wild Turkey and American Flamingo work well as a single large piece in a living room. All prints are museum-quality reproductions, available unframed or framed with low-glare acrylic glazing, with free shipping and import duties covered.
