JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (1785-1851)
by Brian Ellis

A man of many firsts, Audubon was the first to paint every known bird in North America, more than 465 species. And he was the first to scientifically describe more than a dozen of these, naming them for his friends. He was the first man in America to band a bird, thereby proving that they migrate. He followed their migrations and wrote five to ten pages about every bird he painted, published in seven volumes as the Ornithological Biographies. He was a best-selling author of his day, publishing 50 short stories about his travels and travails known collectively as the Delineations of American Scenery. He was also the first to attempt to paint all of the four legged animals that give birth to live young. The results of years of these field studies were published as The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.

Most importantly he transformed “scientific illustrations,” raising the skill of the draftsman to the level of fine art, moving from flat, lifeless, two-dimensional dead birds, to dancing, flying, hunting, feeding, living, breathing birds He placed the birds within their native habitat, with scientifically accurate trees and flowers. He included the differences between male and female birds, creating truly informative and inspiring paintings.

Every wildlife artist since has given his due to John James Audubon.

Audubon was born in Santo Domingo (Haiti) as the illegitimate son of a plantation owner who was involved in the slave trade. His father also ran the British blockades and helped America to win the American Revolution. Audubon later lied about his birth insisting he was born in the Louisiana Territory before Napoleon sold it to Jefferson, so he could claim American citizenship.

He was mostly self-taught as an artist, developing a unique technique of wiring birds into position and then painting them predominately in watercolors, but using some gouache and pastel chalks to add texture. These original paintings were then rendered into copper engravings by Robert Havell Jr. in London. The prints were hand-colored and then sold by subscription. Special double elephant portfolio paper was needed so that each bird could be painted life-size. In the end, there was little profit from this massive project, but The Birds of North America made his reputation. They were later rendered into smaller stone lithography prints by J.T Bowen, who also engraved the mammals, so that they could reach a broader audience. This is where Audubon made his wealth.

At every stage, Audubon sought the best engravers and was at the cutting edge of printmaking technology.

Original Havell Edition prints today range from $1,000 for paintings of smaller birds in poor condition to $200,000 for mint condition, highly desirable birds. For the best modern reprints, Princeton editions range from $100 - $800 in price. Until recently, Audubon was the most reproduced artist in the world, so be aware that many of the cheaper reproductions are worth less than the frame you might find them in at your local antique store.

RECOMMENDED READING

Audubon, John James. Writings and Drawings. Library of Congress/Penguin Putnam, 1999.
Read what Audubon wrote in this fine collection of essays, letters and excerpts from his Ornithological Biographies and field journals.

Hart-Davis, Duff. Audubon’s Elephant. Henry Holt, 2004.
For the art historian and all of those fascinated by Audubon’s technique as an artist, the process of printmaking and the selling of subscriptions.

Rhodes, Richard. John James Audubon – The Making of an American. Knopf, 2004.
Though the best selling of the recent biographies, highly recommended, and critically acclaimed, it dwells mostly on his personal life.

Souder, William. Under A Wild Sky, North Point Press, 2004 
This is the biography for the serious birder who would like to better understand Audubon’s field ecology and ornithology.

Streshinsky, Shirley. Audubon – Life and Art in the American Wilderness. Random House, 1993.The best of the recent biographies, this book is a good balance of his personal life, his art and his ornithology.

BRIAN ELLIS

Brian "Fox" Ellis is an internationally renowned storyteller, author and naturalist. He has been a featured speaker at regional and international conferences on environmental concerns. Fox is also a museum consultant who has worked with The Field Museum and The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. He is the Artistic Director for Prairie Folklore Theatre, a unique theatre company that celebrates ecology and history through original musical theatre. Fox is the author of twelve books including the critically acclaimed Learning From the Land: Teaching Ecology Through Stories and Activities (Libraries Unlimited, 1997) and The Web at Dragonfly Pond (Dawn Publications, 2006). 

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON

QUOTES by John James Audubon

"Nothing, after all, could ever answer my enthusiastic desires to represent nature, except to copy her in her own way, alive and moving!"  

“I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating them in the best way I could.”  

“In my deepest troubles, I frequently would wrench myself from the persons around me and retire to some secluded part of our noble forests.”  

“Neither this little stream, this swamp, this grand sheet of water, nor these mountains will be seen a century hence as I see them now.”   

Audubon’s wife Lucy wrote of her husband’s loyalty, saying she knew, “My only rival for my husband’s affection is every bird in North America.”

TIMELINE