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John James AudubonTownsend's Shrew Mole: Original 19th Century Audubon Lithograph1849-1854
1849-1854
About the Item
This is an original 19th century John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Townsend's Shrew Mole", No. 29, Plate CXLV, from Audubon's "Quadrupeds of North America", printed and colored by J.T. Bowen and published in Philadelphia from 1849-1856. The print depicts a group of three shrew moles in a beautiful landscape scene with high grass and leafy plants behind them and mountains in the distance on the right.
This antique hand-colored Audubon quadruped lithograph is presented with the original descriptive text pages, 217-219 from Audubon's original 19th century publication. There is a very faint smudge in the lower inscription area on the right, a tiny faint spot in the left margin and a small spot over the sky on the right, but the print is otherwise in very good condition. The sheet measures 7" high and 10.38" wide.
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 and Victor Gifford Audubon produced a set of elephant folio sized lithographs that were primarily engraved and hand colored by J. T. Bowen in Philadelphia. The publication, which included text descriptions of the animals was published 3 years before Audubon died. As with the birds, this was followed by a three-volume set of 155 octavo-sized plates entitled “The Quadrupeds of North America” completed and published by Audubon’s sons, John, Jr. and Victor.
Audubon prints continue to be popular and a wise investment. The double elephant folio set “The Birds of America” have sold at auction for as much as $8.8 million, and individual plates may sell for six figures. The beautiful, but less well-known quadruped plates are not as expensive, but becoming more sought after, as the birds become unattainable to all but the very wealthy.
- Creator:John James Audubon (1785-1851, American, French)
- Creation Year:1849-1854
- Dimensions:Height: 7 in (17.78 cm)Width: 10.38 in (26.37 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Alamo, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: # 20701stDibs: LU1173216477912
John James Audubon
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.
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