House Wren and its Hat House, from the Bien edition of Birds of America

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John James Audubon
House Wren and its Hat House, from the Bien edition of Birds of America
1860

About the Item

Audubon Bien Edition. Plate 120: House Wren (Troglodytes Aedon), Male, 1, Female 2, Young, 3,4,5; and (here on separate sheet: Plate 118: Bewick's Wren (Troglodytes Bewickii. Aud.), Male. Two original chromolithographs by Julius Bien of the House Wren (the second originally also known as Bewick’s Wren when originally first documented, named, and published as a copper engraving by John James Audubon (1838). Here published as chromolithograph in the Bien Audubon Edition (186O) (originally together with the House Wren on one sheet), here on two separate sheets). Seven years after their father’s death, Audubon’s sons began an American edition of The Birds of America with the New York printer, Julius Bien, who was a pivotal figure in developing chromolithography in America. Bien transferred the images from Robert Havell’s original copper engraving plates of Audubon's Masterpiece, "Birds of America," onto lithographic printing stones. As many as nine printing stages, with additional hand-drawn lithography and coloring, were used to reproduce the original engravings. The then relatively new technique of chromolithography achieved esthetic effects that differed from the original Audubon-Havel engravings and were recognized as a major advancement of fine art printing in America. The Bien Edition, which were to be sold by subscription, began in 1858. But the project was brought to a halt by the advent of the Civil War. Only 150 lithographs were printed. By transferring Audubon's images to limestone lithographic stones Bien, in collaboration with John Woodhouse Audubon, preserved details from the original copper plates of the 1837 Audubon-Havell edition. The choice of lithography over copper engraving was necessary because the original printing plates were worn down from metal fatigue and over-use resulting from the printing of the 1837 first edition of "Birds of America.” The House Wren (Troglodytidae Aedon) is a very small songbird of the wren family. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is the most widely distributed bird in the Americas. It can be observed in most suburban areas in its range, and it is the single most common wren. John James Audubon is credited with having first described an example of Bewick's Wren, collecting the first known specimen in 1821. Bewick's Wren is named after Audubon's friend Thomas Bewick, an English engraver and natural historian. The House Wren usually constructs a large "cup nest" in various sorts of cavities, including woodpecker holes. Construction takes about a week. The nest is commonly made from small dry sticks and is usually lined with a variety of different materials. These include: feathers, hair, wool, spider cocoons, strips of bark, rootlets, moss, and trash. The male wren finds dry sticks, which he adds to the nest. Once he is done, the female inspects at the nest; but if she does not approve of the construction, she will throw any unwanted sticks to the ground. The female then lines the nest. Nest cavities are usually a few meters above ground at most, but occasionally on cliffs as high up as 15 meters. Their nests, may be natural or man-made, often using bird houses or even, as Audubon so deftly rendered, an old hat! The image shows the female adult bringing food for the couple’s young. While the female is at the nest, the male provisions her and the brood with food (insects) in response to begging calls. In Audubon’s image the young are being fed by the female while the male observes from above. Wrens forage actively in vegetation and mainly eat insects such as butterfly larvae, spiders and snails, Wrens require plenty of food given their tiny size and outsized caloric needs.. Known predators at the nest include cats, rats, opossums, woodpeckers, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, snakes and owls. Adults away from the nests can usually avoid these predators although both small hawks and owls occasionally capture free-flying adult wrens.

Creator:
John James Audubon (1785-1851, American, French)
Creation Year:
1860
Dimensions:
Height: 26.38 in (67.01 cm)Width: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)
Medium:
Lithograph
Movement & Style:
American Realist
Period:
1860-1869
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5186014442