John James Audubon (1785 - 1851)
About John James Audubon and Important Links and References
A self-portrait by Audubon in 1826
Will there be another person like John James Audubon in our lifetime ? Probably not. Audubon was larger than life, a handsome and a charming immigrant who remained mysterious about his humble origins in Saint Domingue (modern Haiti), a dashing figure, a painter, self-taught scientist, ornithologist, and a writer. He was also an expert hunter, a superb raconteur, an entertaining story teller who was popular as a dinner guest, quite capable of defending himself with a knife when attacked, declared bankruptcy, spent a few days in jail, a skilled dancer and musician, and was very devoted to his wife and children. Audubon distinguished himself in many ways from all the previous ornithologists who painted birds (e.g., British ornithologists Mark Catesby and Alexander Wilson), and in doing so, he displayed his pure genius and natural talent in painting the birds. Audubon decided to paint his birds in their true natural size, thereby necessitating for him to use the double elephant folio size paper (approximately 39 1/2” x 26 1/2”) so that he could fit very large birds such as the White Pelican, American Flamingo and others onto the paper. Whereas all the earlier ornithologists tended to depict the birds in a profile form, and often looking stiff and without any expression, Audubon developed a wiring technique that enabled him, to display birds in their natural form as observed by him in Nature, for the first time. He captured the live drama as it unfolded in front of him (e.g., see the Mocking Bird or Virginian Partridge or Canada Otter). And he surpassed all the earlier ornithologists and naturalists in the way he painted his birds and animals with exquisite detail and colors, often showing the finest details such as the barbs on a bird's feather, or capturing the look of horror and shock in the mocking bird’s eyes under attack by a rattle snake invading its nest, or the terrified partridges being attacked by a juvenile eagle, or the pain and fury of a Canada otter with its paw caught in a cruel steel trap set up by a hunter. His original watercolor paintings of birds culminated with the publication of the Havell edition double elephant folio Birds of America (BOA). Despite the ridicule and dismissal of his genius work from the Philadelphia art establishment (in particular from George Ord of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia) that would have probably discouraged a lesser mortal for ever, Audubon persevered with singular determination, and succeeded in producing his magnificent masterpiece of art, the Birds of America.
Audubon was one of the first to raise alarm about the destruction of bird habitats and the wanton hunting of birds and the potential of this hunting and loss of habitat to cause extinction of some bird species (indeed, some species that were abundant during Audubon’s time are now extinct, such as the Passenger Pigeon, the Carolina Parrot, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and the Great Auk, to mention a few). Even though some modern historians have criticized Audubon for killing several birds needlessly when all he needed was one bird (or a few) for his drawing, let us not forget that Audubon was a perfectionist himself; and so perhaps, it could be argued that may be Audubon needed a large number of birds from which he could select the perfect specimen among them (or may be even a composite) for use in his drawing. The National Audubon Society was named after him, as well as many parks and streets in our country. For Audubon’s intriguing biography and his art, the reader is referred to several excellent books written about him by some noted Audubon scholars, as well as documentary videos (see Important Books and Documentaries about Audubon, listed below). While the documentaries are excellent, his personal life story itself is worthy of a full length Hollywood film.
A copy of the double elephant folio set (the Lord Hesketh set) of the Birds of America by Audubon sold at Sotheby’s Auction in London in December 2010 for a record breaking $11.5 million !
Trivia tidbit: Did you know there is a connection between John James Audubon and Sherlock Holmes ?
Well, actually, connection with the actor who played the role of Sherlock Holmes - - the owner of this gallery had noticed, one night in the year 2010 while watching a B&W Sherlock Holmes movie on the TV, that the character of Sherlock Holmes was played by an actor named Mr. Basil Rathbone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1939_film_series)). His last name immediately caught the owner's attention because, in 1826, after leaving New Orleans with his stack of water color paintings and arriving in Britain on a ship, Audubon visited a Richard Rathbone in Liverpool/England with whom he became good friends, and even honored him by naming a warbler after him (Rathbone Warbler, Havell Plate #65. Also see Plate 89 in the Bien edition section). After some digging, this is what he found - - Richard Rathbone's (1788-1860) elder brother William Rathbone V (1787-1868) was the great grand father of Basil Rathbone (1892-1967) who made a name for himself by playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1940's era movies. There you have it !
Trivia tidbit: Plate 357 - American Magpie - - watercolor paintings.
There are at least two known water color paintings of the American Magpie (Havell Plate 357) by John James Audubon in existence -- one in the NY Historical Society (NYHS) Audubon Gallery, and one in the collection of one of the finest Art Museums in the Nation, viz., the Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) in Alabama. After a careful comparison of the Havell engraved image with these two water color paintings, we have concluded in 2007 that the painting at the Birmingham Museum of Art was most likely used by Robert Havell for his engraving. The painting in the NY Historical Society appears to be a variant with slight a difference in the placement of tree branch w.r.t. the birds.
John James Audubon Biography:
https://www.biography.com/scientist/john-james-audubon
John James Audubon Timeline:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/john-james-audubon-career-timeline/107/
Some Important Books about Audubon:
(1) Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America", by Roberta J. M. Olson, published by the Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc and New-York Historical Society, 2012.
(2) John James Audubon / The Making of An American, by Richard Rhodes, Alfred A Knopf, New York, 2004.
(3) Under a Wild Sky / John James Audubon and the Making of the Birds of America, by William Souder, North Point Press, New York, 2004.
(4) Audubon Art Prints / A Collector’s Guide to Every edition, by Bill Steiner, University of South Carolina press, 2003.
(5) Audubon’s Great National Work / The Royal Octavo Edition of the Birds of America, by Ron Tyler, University of Texas press, Austin, 1993.
(6) A Guide to Audubon’s Birds of America, by Susanne M. Low, William Reese Co & Donald A. Heald, New Haven and New York, 2002.
(7) The Double Elephant Folio / The Story of Audubon’s Birds of America, by Waldemar H. Fries, Zenaida Publishing, Inc., Amherst, MA, 2006.
(8) John James Audubon / Writings & Drawings, by Christoph Irmscher (Editor), The Library of America, 1999.
(9) The Imperial Collection of Audubon Animals / The Quadrupeds of North America. Original Text by John James Audubon, F.R.S., and Rev. John Bachman, D.D., Edited and with new text by Victor H. Cahalane. Bonanza Books, New York, 1967
(10) A Summer of Birds / John James Audubon at Oakley House, by Danny Heitman, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 2008.
Some Documentaries about Audubon:
John James Audubon: THE BIRDS OF AMERICA, Arts America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQijoWmzvTo
John James Audubon: The Birds of America (1985) A National Gallery of Art Presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7975N_jYc
Audubon’s Birds of America, Division of rare and Manuscript Collections, Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElD_Qx_lPls
The Viviparous quadrupeds of North America. John James Audubon & John Bachman. Peter Harrington, London,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5peJmx2API
The Audubon Film:
http://www.audubonthefilm.com/
Some Major Audubon Historical Sites:
(1) John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove
Mill Grove was the first home of John James Audubon in America. He was 18 years old. He also met his future wife, Lucy Bakewell, in an estate adjoining Mill Grove.
https://johnjames.audubon.org/node/5266/explore-museum
(2) Audubon Museum and Nature Center, Henderson, KY
Audubon spent a few years in Henderson, KY (then a frontier village). The Museum has a collection of Audubon's personal belongings, as well as a copy of the 4 volume set of the Birds of America on display.
http://friendsofaudubon.org/museum-nature-center/
(3) Oakley Plantation House, St Francisville, LA
Audubon spent about four months at the Oakley Plantation House near St. Francisville, Louisiana. He painted about 32 of the bird images while working there (tutoring the teenage daugter, Eliza, of Mrs. Lucy Pirrie, the owner of the plantation). The Visitor Center has a display of several original Havell edition prints in an adjacent theater.
https://www.crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-parks/historic-sites/audubon-state-historic-site/index
(4) Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum, 155 & Broadway, Manhattan, New York
The grave for the great naturalist is located in the Trinity Church cemetery. John James Audubon died in 1851 at the age of 65. His immediately family members were also buried at the same site.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6102721/john-james-audubon
New-York Historical Society, Museum and Library:
In 1863, Lucy Bakewell Audubon, who by then already lost her beloved husband John James Audubon and her two sons (Victor Gifford and John Woodhouse) was financially strapped and struggling to support her grand children. The advent of the Civil War in 1860 destroyed the plans for the successful completion of the Bien edition of the Birds of America, and contributed to the financial ruin of the Audubon family, further exasperated by the premature deaths of Audubons' two sons in 1860 (Victor Gifford) and 1862 (John Woodhouse). Out of desperation to support her family and discharge financial debts (including debts incurred for the production of the Bien edition), Lucy Audubon sold all of the original watercolor paintings of her husband to the New-York Historical Society for a mere $4,000. This meager amount was mainly a reflection of the harsh reality of life during the American Civil War which was raging on all around at that time and made it very hard for the Society to raise funds for the purchase of art. These original watercolors by John James Audubon are priceless and are considered a National Treasure. They can be viewed at the New-York Historical Society Museum Gallery. Also see the book listed above : Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America", by Roberta J. M. Olson.
https://www.nyhistory.org/
National Audubon Society:
In 1886 George Grinnel (a student of Lucy Bakewell Audubon) founded the Audubon Society of New York, the forerunner of the National Audubon Society dedicated to the protection of birds and their habitat. The National Audubon Society currently has 23 state programs, 41 Audubon Nature Centers, and nearly 500 local chapters. The Society published the Abbeville Edition of the Birds of America in 1985 to commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the birth of the great naturalist and artist, as well as the Volair Edition of Audubon's Octavo Birds and Quadrupeds in 1978.
https://www.audubon.org/
Audubon was one of the first to raise alarm about the destruction of bird habitats and the wanton hunting of birds and the potential of this hunting and loss of habitat to cause extinction of some bird species (indeed, some species that were abundant during Audubon’s time are now extinct, such as the Passenger Pigeon, the Carolina Parrot, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and the Great Auk, to mention a few). Even though some modern historians have criticized Audubon for killing several birds needlessly when all he needed was one bird (or a few) for his drawing, let us not forget that Audubon was a perfectionist himself; and so perhaps, it could be argued that may be Audubon needed a large number of birds from which he could select the perfect specimen among them (or may be even a composite) for use in his drawing. The National Audubon Society was named after him, as well as many parks and streets in our country. For Audubon’s intriguing biography and his art, the reader is referred to several excellent books written about him by some noted Audubon scholars, as well as documentary videos (see Important Books and Documentaries about Audubon, listed below). While the documentaries are excellent, his personal life story itself is worthy of a full length Hollywood film.
A copy of the double elephant folio set (the Lord Hesketh set) of the Birds of America by Audubon sold at Sotheby’s Auction in London in December 2010 for a record breaking $11.5 million !
Trivia tidbit: Did you know there is a connection between John James Audubon and Sherlock Holmes ?
Well, actually, connection with the actor who played the role of Sherlock Holmes - - the owner of this gallery had noticed, one night in the year 2010 while watching a B&W Sherlock Holmes movie on the TV, that the character of Sherlock Holmes was played by an actor named Mr. Basil Rathbone (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1939_film_series)). His last name immediately caught the owner's attention because, in 1826, after leaving New Orleans with his stack of water color paintings and arriving in Britain on a ship, Audubon visited a Richard Rathbone in Liverpool/England with whom he became good friends, and even honored him by naming a warbler after him (Rathbone Warbler, Havell Plate #65. Also see Plate 89 in the Bien edition section). After some digging, this is what he found - - Richard Rathbone's (1788-1860) elder brother William Rathbone V (1787-1868) was the great grand father of Basil Rathbone (1892-1967) who made a name for himself by playing Sherlock Holmes in the 1940's era movies. There you have it !
Trivia tidbit: Plate 357 - American Magpie - - watercolor paintings.
There are at least two known water color paintings of the American Magpie (Havell Plate 357) by John James Audubon in existence -- one in the NY Historical Society (NYHS) Audubon Gallery, and one in the collection of one of the finest Art Museums in the Nation, viz., the Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) in Alabama. After a careful comparison of the Havell engraved image with these two water color paintings, we have concluded in 2007 that the painting at the Birmingham Museum of Art was most likely used by Robert Havell for his engraving. The painting in the NY Historical Society appears to be a variant with slight a difference in the placement of tree branch w.r.t. the birds.
John James Audubon Biography:
https://www.biography.com/scientist/john-james-audubon
John James Audubon Timeline:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/john-james-audubon-career-timeline/107/
Some Important Books about Audubon:
(1) Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America", by Roberta J. M. Olson, published by the Skira Rizzoli Publications, Inc and New-York Historical Society, 2012.
(2) John James Audubon / The Making of An American, by Richard Rhodes, Alfred A Knopf, New York, 2004.
(3) Under a Wild Sky / John James Audubon and the Making of the Birds of America, by William Souder, North Point Press, New York, 2004.
(4) Audubon Art Prints / A Collector’s Guide to Every edition, by Bill Steiner, University of South Carolina press, 2003.
(5) Audubon’s Great National Work / The Royal Octavo Edition of the Birds of America, by Ron Tyler, University of Texas press, Austin, 1993.
(6) A Guide to Audubon’s Birds of America, by Susanne M. Low, William Reese Co & Donald A. Heald, New Haven and New York, 2002.
(7) The Double Elephant Folio / The Story of Audubon’s Birds of America, by Waldemar H. Fries, Zenaida Publishing, Inc., Amherst, MA, 2006.
(8) John James Audubon / Writings & Drawings, by Christoph Irmscher (Editor), The Library of America, 1999.
(9) The Imperial Collection of Audubon Animals / The Quadrupeds of North America. Original Text by John James Audubon, F.R.S., and Rev. John Bachman, D.D., Edited and with new text by Victor H. Cahalane. Bonanza Books, New York, 1967
(10) A Summer of Birds / John James Audubon at Oakley House, by Danny Heitman, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 2008.
Some Documentaries about Audubon:
John James Audubon: THE BIRDS OF AMERICA, Arts America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQijoWmzvTo
John James Audubon: The Birds of America (1985) A National Gallery of Art Presentation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7975N_jYc
Audubon’s Birds of America, Division of rare and Manuscript Collections, Carl A. Kroch Library, Cornell University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElD_Qx_lPls
The Viviparous quadrupeds of North America. John James Audubon & John Bachman. Peter Harrington, London,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5peJmx2API
The Audubon Film:
http://www.audubonthefilm.com/
Some Major Audubon Historical Sites:
(1) John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove
Mill Grove was the first home of John James Audubon in America. He was 18 years old. He also met his future wife, Lucy Bakewell, in an estate adjoining Mill Grove.
https://johnjames.audubon.org/node/5266/explore-museum
(2) Audubon Museum and Nature Center, Henderson, KY
Audubon spent a few years in Henderson, KY (then a frontier village). The Museum has a collection of Audubon's personal belongings, as well as a copy of the 4 volume set of the Birds of America on display.
http://friendsofaudubon.org/museum-nature-center/
(3) Oakley Plantation House, St Francisville, LA
Audubon spent about four months at the Oakley Plantation House near St. Francisville, Louisiana. He painted about 32 of the bird images while working there (tutoring the teenage daugter, Eliza, of Mrs. Lucy Pirrie, the owner of the plantation). The Visitor Center has a display of several original Havell edition prints in an adjacent theater.
https://www.crt.state.la.us/louisiana-state-parks/historic-sites/audubon-state-historic-site/index
(4) Trinity Church Cemetery and Mausoleum, 155 & Broadway, Manhattan, New York
The grave for the great naturalist is located in the Trinity Church cemetery. John James Audubon died in 1851 at the age of 65. His immediately family members were also buried at the same site.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6102721/john-james-audubon
New-York Historical Society, Museum and Library:
In 1863, Lucy Bakewell Audubon, who by then already lost her beloved husband John James Audubon and her two sons (Victor Gifford and John Woodhouse) was financially strapped and struggling to support her grand children. The advent of the Civil War in 1860 destroyed the plans for the successful completion of the Bien edition of the Birds of America, and contributed to the financial ruin of the Audubon family, further exasperated by the premature deaths of Audubons' two sons in 1860 (Victor Gifford) and 1862 (John Woodhouse). Out of desperation to support her family and discharge financial debts (including debts incurred for the production of the Bien edition), Lucy Audubon sold all of the original watercolor paintings of her husband to the New-York Historical Society for a mere $4,000. This meager amount was mainly a reflection of the harsh reality of life during the American Civil War which was raging on all around at that time and made it very hard for the Society to raise funds for the purchase of art. These original watercolors by John James Audubon are priceless and are considered a National Treasure. They can be viewed at the New-York Historical Society Museum Gallery. Also see the book listed above : Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America", by Roberta J. M. Olson.
https://www.nyhistory.org/
National Audubon Society:
In 1886 George Grinnel (a student of Lucy Bakewell Audubon) founded the Audubon Society of New York, the forerunner of the National Audubon Society dedicated to the protection of birds and their habitat. The National Audubon Society currently has 23 state programs, 41 Audubon Nature Centers, and nearly 500 local chapters. The Society published the Abbeville Edition of the Birds of America in 1985 to commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the birth of the great naturalist and artist, as well as the Volair Edition of Audubon's Octavo Birds and Quadrupeds in 1978.
https://www.audubon.org/