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What is an Audubon book worth?
1 Answer

How much an Audubon book is worth varies based on its age, type, condition and other factors. In 2018, a first-edition copy of The Birds of America by John James Audubon sold for $9.6 million at auction. The book was historic because it depicted birds in vivid, life-size prints. Today, it is still considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. If you own an Audubon book, a certified appraiser or knowledgeable dealer can give you an estimated value for it. Find a diverse assortment of John James Audubon art on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertAugust 20, 2024
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Shop for John James Audubon Art on 1stDibs
Cat Squirrel: An Original 19th Century Hand-colored Lithograph by Audubon
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Cat Squirrel, No. 4, Plate XVII", from John James Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America, published in Philade...
Category
Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Ocelot by Audubon
By John James Audubon
Located in New York, NY
Original stone lithograph with hand-coloring from "The Quadrupeds of North America. Octavo Edition" by John James Audubon. Plate LXXXVI. P...
Category
1850s Animal Prints
Materials
Paper
Roseate Spoonbill /// John James Audubon Natural History Ornithology Water Bird
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851)
Title: "Roseate Spoonbill" (Plate 362, No. 73)
Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Edition
Year: 1840-1844
Medium: Original Hand-Colored Lithograph on wove paper
Limited edition: approx. 1,200
Printer: John T. Bowen, Philadelphia, PA
Publisher: John James Audubon and J.B. Chevalier, New York, NY and Philadelphia, PA
Sheet size: 6.75" x 10.44"
Image size: 5" x 7.63"
Condition: In excellent condition
Very rare
The "Roseate Spoonbill" is one of the very top, absolute most desirable birds from Audubon's famous "Birds of America" series
Notes:
Provenance: private collection - Fleming Island, FL. Lithography and hand-coloring by American artist John T. Bowen (1801-c.1856). Comes from Audubon's famous seven volume portfolio "The Birds of America", First Royal Octavo Edition (1840-1844), which consists of 500 hand-colored lithographs.
Based on a composition painted in Florida in 1831 or 1832. "This beautiful and singular bird" was prized for its wings and tail feathers which were made into fans in St. Augustine.
The roseate spoonbill is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin, like the American flamingo.
To make 'The Birds of America' more affordable and widely available, in 1839 John James Audubon began the first octavo edition, a smaller version of the folio which was printed and hand-colored by J. T. Bowen in Philadelphia. Employing a new invention, the camera lucida, the images were reduced in size, rendered in intermediate drawings by John James Audubon and his son John Woodhouse, and then drawn onto lithographic stones. These miniatures exhibit a remarkable amount of attention to quality and detail, as well as a meticulous fidelity to the larger works. Some compositional changes were made in order to accommodate the smaller format. Like the Havell edition, John James Audubon’s first...
Category
1840s Victorian Animal Prints
Materials
Watercolor, Lithograph
Snowy Heron /// John James Audubon Natural History Ornithology Snowy Egret Bird
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851)
Title: "Snowy Heron" (Plate 374, No. 75)
Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Edition
Year: 1840-1844
Medium: Original...
Category
1840s Victorian Animal Prints
Materials
Watercolor, Lithograph
American Crow 1858 Chromolithograph by J.J. Audubon Plate, Julius Bien Edition
By John James Audubon
Located in Paonia, CO
American Crow by J.J. Audubon from his Birds of America folio shows an adult male crow in a Black Walnut bush with a nest of a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird in a branch below the crow. This original chromolithograph plate no. 226 is in good condition with a repairable water mark in the image on the left side as can be seen in the photos.
The ” Birds of America” by John James...
Category
1850s Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
Lithograph
American Flamingo /// John James Audubon Natural History Ornithology Bird Litho
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851)
Title: "American Flamingo" (Plate 375, No. 75)
Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo E...
Category
1840s Victorian Animal Prints
Materials
Watercolor, Lithograph