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What is John James Audubon famous for?
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John James Audubon is famous for studying and drawing birds. His goal was to document every type of American bird and is known for his detailed illustrations of birds in their natural habitats. Browse a variety of Audubon drawings and art on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
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Shop for John James Audubon Art on 1stDibs
"The Cougar", an Original 19th C. Audubon Hand Colored Quadruped Lithograph
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "The Cougar, Male", No. 20, Plate XCVI, 96 from Audubon's "Quadrupeds of North America". It was d...
Category
Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
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
Swainson's Warbler: A Framed Original Hand-colored Audubon Folio Bird Engraving
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Swainson's Warbler, Male, Sylvicola Swainsonia, Tree: Vulgo, White Oak", No. 10, Plate 50, from A...
Category
Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
Engraving
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
Trumpeter Swan, Adult: An Original Audubon Hand-colored Bird Lithograph
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Trumpeter Swan, Adult", No. 77, Plate 382 from Audubon's "Birds of America, lit...
Category
Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Black-Winged Hawk by J.J. Audubon Bien Edition 1860
By John James Audubon
Located in Paonia, CO
Plate 16 No. 4-2 Black-winged hawk. Falco Dispar, Temm. Male 1. Female 2. Drawn from nature by J.J. Audubon, Chromolithy, Julius Bien, lithographer New York 1860 from Audubon's Birds of America.
The “Birds of America” by John James...
Category
1860s Other Art Style Animal Prints
Materials
Lithograph