Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 23

John James Audubon
Sandwich Tern (with Florida Cray Fish) (Florida Keys) /// Ornithology Audubon

1835

$7,500
£5,619.87
€6,588.13
CA$10,503.69
A$11,772.85
CHF 6,163.25
MX$145,269.87
NOK 77,421.87
SEK 72,878.57
DKK 49,147.82
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Sandwich Tern (with Florida Cray Fish) (Florida Keys)" (Plate CCLXXIX - 279; part No. 56) Portfolio: The Birds of America, Havell Edition Year: 1835 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving with Aquatint on double-elephant folio, J. Whatman paper Limited edition: approx. 180 Printer: Robert Havell Jr., London, England Publisher: John James Audubon, London, England Framing: Exquisitely framed in a Oak wood moulding with gold-leaf gilding and handmade French matting. All archival Framed size: 31.5" x 42.25" Sheet size: approx. 26" x 39" Platemark size: 12.25" x 19.5" Image size: 10" x 18.25" Condition: Some minor cosmetic wear to framing. In otherwise excellent condition with clean paper and strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: Estate of Douglas & Eunice Goodan - Montecito, CA. Mr. Goodan was from the Chandler family, owners of the Los Angeles Times; acquired from W. Graham Arader III Galleries, Philadelphia, PA with their original gallery label on verso. Comes from Audubon's monumental book volume "The Birds of America", (Havell Edition, 1827-1838), which consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints, made from engraved plates, with each sheet originally measuring around 39" x 26". "J. Whatman 1835" watermark present. Based on a composition painted May 26, 1832 in the Florida Keys. Audubon described how he "observed a large flock of Terns - On examining the first individual picked up from the water, I perceived from the yellow point of its bill that it was different from any that I had previously seen, and accordingly shouted 'A prize! a prize! a prize! a new bird to the American Fauna!' And so it was good Reader, for no person before had found the Sandwich Tern on any part of our coast". The Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (T. bengalensis), Chinese crested tern (T. bernsteini), Cabot's tern (T. acuflavidus), and elegant tern (T. elegans) and has been known to interbreed with the lesser crested. It breeds in the Palearctic from Europe to the Caspian Sea wintering to S Africa, India and Sri Lanka. The Sandwich tern is a medium-large tern with grey upperparts, white underparts, a yellow-tipped black bill and a shaggy black crest which becomes less extensive in winter with a white crown. Young birds bear grey and brown scalloped plumage on their backs and wings. It is a vocal bird. It nests in a ground scrape and lays one to three eggs. Like all Thalasseus terns, the Sandwich tern feeds by plunge diving for fish, usually in marine environments, and the offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display. The blue crayfish (Procambarus alleni), sometimes called the electric blue crayfish, the sapphire crayfish, or the Florida crayfish, is a species of freshwater crayfish endemic to Florida in the United States. Its natural range is the area east of St. Johns River and all of Florida from Levy County and Marion County southwards, as well as on some of the Florida Keys. It is included on the IUCN Red List as a species of Least Concern. The blue crayfish is frequently kept in freshwater aquaria. In the wild, this species varies from brown-tan to blue, but the aquarium strain has been selectively bred to achieve a brilliant cobalt blue color. "The Birds of America" (Havell Edition) - In Edinburgh, the Scottish engraver W. H. Lizars began to produce the very first plates for Birds of America. However, after the completion of only ten plates, Lizars' colorists went on strike, and Audubon was forced to continue his pursuit of an engraver. Audubon's dream finally found fruition with Robert Havell, a renowned London engraver. The portfolio of Birds of America, consisting of 435 hand-colored engravings, took twelve years, from 1826 to 1838, to complete. Havell also retouched Lizars' original efforts, adding aquatint to the engraving, and on those ten plates the Havell name appears alongside that of the Scottish engraver's. There were 176 recorded subscribers to the 'Birds of America' series and it is known that a handful of extra Audubon books were produced as well. Of the approximate amount of 180 ever produced, roughly 100 have never been broken and remain in permanent public museum and institution collections. In light of that, roughly only 80 examples possibly exist on the open market in private hands today. Biography: John James Audubon (April 26, 1785, Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (later Haiti) – January 27, 1851 (aged 65) Manhattan, New York, U.S.), born Jean-Jacques Audubon, was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species. Robert Havell Jr. (25 November 1793 – 11 November 1878) was the principal engraver of Audubon's Birds of America, perhaps the most significant natural history publication of all time. His aquatint engraving of all but the first ten plates of John James Audubon's Birds of America is now recognized as a significant artistic achievement in its own right and an essential component of the success of Birds of America. He and Audubon became close friends and associates during their lengthy collaboration. In 1839 Havell went to America at the invitation of Audubon, first residing in Brooklyn. He settled in Ossining on the Hudson River and later moved to Tarrytown, New York, living there from 1857 through his remaining years. Although Havell continued to work in aquatint and engraving (primarily city panoramas), he devoted most of his attention to painting the countryside of the Hudson River valley. He traveled frequently in a homemade horse-drawn trailer, sketching and taking notes and translating his sketches into larger oils. Robert Havell Jr. is considered a member of the Hudson River School of American painters. He died in 1878 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Tarrytown.

More From This Seller

View All
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

Tropic Bird /// Ornithology John James Audubon Shorebird Ocean Beach Seascape
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Tropic Bird" (Plate CCLXII - 262; part No. 53) Portfolio: The Birds of America, Havell Edition Year: 1835 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Engraving with Aquatint on double-elephant folio, J. Whatman paper Limited edition: approx. 180 Printer: Robert Havell Jr., London, England Publisher: John James Audubon, London, England Framing: Not framed, but matted in a handmade custom French matting Matted size: 30" x 38.75" Sheet size: 25.5" x 36" Platemark size: 20.75" x 30.25" Image size: 18.5" x 27.75" Condition: A few tiny foxmarks. In excellent condition with clean paper and strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - New York, NY. Engraved, printed, and hand-colored by English artist Robert Havell Jr. (1793-1878). Comes from Audubon's monumental book volume "The Birds of America", (Havell Edition, 1827-1838), which consists of 435 hand-colored, life-size prints, made from engraved plates, with each sheet originally measuring around 39" x 26". "J. Whatman 1835" watermark upper right. Based on a composition painted between 1832 and 1835. Audubon sailed the entire length of Florida, around the Keys and as far as the Dry Tortugas, from which, on another occasion, "The specimens - in the plate were taken - by my kind friend Robert Day, Esq. of the United States Revenue Cutter...
Category

Early 1800s Victorian Animal Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Engraving, Aquatint, Intaglio

Booby Gannet /// Ornithology Bird Art John James Audubon Florida Keys Seascape
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Booby Gannet" (Plate 426, No. 86) 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: 10.38" x 6.75" Image size: 5.94" x 5.5" Condition: Two small tears at top edge. In otherwise excellent condition with strong colors Notes: Provenance: private collection - Seattle, WA. 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 May 14, 1832. Audubon wrote: "I am unable to find a good reason for those who have chosen to call these birds 'boobies'. Authors, it is true, generally represent them as extremely stupid; but to me the word is utterly inapplicable to any bird with which I am acquainted". The view of the Florida Keys is based on a drawing by George Lehman. The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulids, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The 10 species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula. 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

Florida Cormorant /// John James Audubon Ornithology Bird Art Natural History
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Florida Cormorant" (Plate 417, No. 84) 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: 6.5" x 10.44" Image size: 3.75" x 6.25" Condition: Some minor discoloration upper center in margin. In excellent condition with strong colors Notes: Provenance: private collection - Cleveland, OH. 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 the Florida Keys on April 26, 1832, Audubon's forty-seventh birthday. The double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) is a member of the cormorant family of water birds. It is found near rivers and lakes and in coastal areas and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico. Measuring 70–90 cm (28–35 in) in length, it is entirely black except for a bare patch of orange-yellow facial skin and some extra plumage that it exhibits in the breeding season when it grows a double crest in which black feathers are mingled with white. Five subspecies are recognized. It mainly eats fish and hunts by swimming and diving. Its feathers, like all cormorants, are not waterproof, and it must dry them out after spending time in the water. Once threatened by the use of DDT, the numbers of this bird have increased markedly in recent years. 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

Glaucus Gull - Burgomaster /// Ornithology Bird John James Audubon Seascape Sky
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Glaucus Gull - Burgomaster" (Plate 449, No. 90) Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Edition...
Category

1840s Victorian Animal Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

Ivory Gull /// Ornithology Bird Audubon Seascape Beach Ocean Shorebird Shell
By John James Audubon
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Ivory Gull" (Plate 445, No. 89) Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Editi...
Category

1840s Victorian Animal Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Lithograph

You May Also Like

Sandwich Tern - Woodcut Print by Alexander Francis Lydon - 1870
Located in Roma, IT
Sandwich Tern is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870. ...
Category

1870s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Antique Bird Print of the Sandwich Tern by Sepp & Nozeman, 1829
By J.C. Sepp, M. Houttuyn
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Sterna Cantiaca'. The Sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) is a tern in the family Laridae. It is very closely related to the lesser crested tern (T. bengale...
Category

Antique Early 19th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

Antique Bird Print of The Roseate Tern by Gould, 1832
By John Gould
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Roseate Tern'. Old bird print depicting the Roseate Tern. This print originates from 'Birds of Europe' by J. Gould (1832-1837). Artists and Engravers: Jo...
Category

Antique 19th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

Antique Bird Print of the Gull-Billed Tern by Gould, 1832
By John Gould
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Gull Billed Tern'. Old bird print depicting the gull-billed tern. This print originates from 'Birds of Europe' by J. Gould (1832-18...
Category

Antique 19th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

Lesser Moddy and Moddy Tern, antique sea bird chromolithograph print, 1889
By Gracius Broinowski
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'Lesser Moddy and Moddy Tern' Chromolithograph from Gracius Broinowski's 'The Birds of Australia' , 1887-1891. Gracius Joseph Broinowski (1837-191...
Category

Late 19th Century Naturalistic Animal Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Antique Bird Print of the Sandwich Tern 'summer' by Von Wright, 1929
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique bird print titled 'Sterna Sandvicensis'. Old bird print depicting the Sandwich Tern (summer). This print originates from 'Svenska Foglar Efter Naturen Och Pa Stenritade' by M...
Category

20th Century Prints

Materials

Paper