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What was John James Audubon’s art style?
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John James Audubon's style was realistic, as the primary goal of his work was to capture characteristics of the anatomies and habitats of various bird species. He often used watercolors to produce his paintings. You'll find a selection of John James Audubon art on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 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
Male Whooping Crane: An Original 19th C. Audubon Hand-colored Bird Lithograph
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored 1st octavo edition lithograph entitled "Whooping Crane, Male, adult", No. 63, Plate 313 from Audubon...
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
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
Mango Hummingbirds: An Original 19th C. Audubon Hand-colored Bird Lithograph
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Mango Humming bird, 1. 2. Males. 3. Female. Bignonia grandifolia", No. 51, Plate 251 from Audubon's "Birds of America, lithographed, printed and colored by JT Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1870-1871. The lithograph depicts an adult male hummingbird, labelled 1, in flight above a beautiful flowering plant, a Chinese Trumpet-vine. Another male, labeled 2, is perched on a flower on the left and a female, labelled 3, is perched on a flower on the right.
This hand-colored Audubon bird octavo-size lithograph sheet measures 10.25" high by 6.75" wide. It is in excellent condition. The original text pages, 185-186, from Audubon's 19th century publication are included.
John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a naturalist and artist. He was initially unsuccessful financially prior to the publication of his famous work “The Birds of America”, spending time in debtor’s prison, once stabbing a disgruntled investor in self-defense. However, his obsession with birds and art motivated him to persist in his goal of documenting every bird in America via his watercolor paintings and publishing his works for all to enjoy. Audubon's first illustrations were published in a large elephant folio size. Due to their expense they were purchased in rather small numbers by the wealthy. To reach a larger audience, Audubon, with the help of his sons and J. T. Bowen, published a smaller octavo sized lithograph version, which were much more affordable.
With the success of his bird projects, Audubon then turned his attention to four-legged animals. He explored the Missouri River in 1843 sketching the four-legged animals he encountered in their natural setting. His expedition covered some of the same regions recently explored by Lewis and Clark, traveling from present day Alaska to Mexico. Audubon realized that this was an opportunity to document these animals in the still relatively pristine American wilderness, before man encroached on their environment.
Between 1845 and 1848, Audubon and his sons John Woodhouse Audubon...
Category
Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
Lithograph
"Esquimaux Curlew": A Framed Original Audubon Hand-colored Folio Engraving
By John James Audubon
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original hand-colored folio edition John James Audubon engraving entitled "Esquimaux Curlew", Folio, Pl. CCVIII", No. 42, Plate 208, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was engraved, printed and colored in London by Robert Havell, Jr. in 1834. It depicts a male and a female Esquimaux Curlew birds...
Category
Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints
Materials
Engraving