Friday 8 January 2016

Audubon: Birds of America part 3



John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) is perhaps the most renowned wildlife artist in America, universally acknowledged by both art and natural history museums. He was born in 1875 in Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (now Haiti).

From his father's Pennsylvania estate, Audubon made the first bird-ringing experiments. After failing in various business ventures, he concentrated on drawing and studying birds, which took him from Florida to Labrador. His extraordinary four-volume The Birds of America, first published in London in 1827, was a 12-year enterprise that exponentially increased the knowledge of American ornithological and natural history.


The images featured in this series are mainly hand-coloured etchings and aquatints, with a few original watercolours here and there. (You can click on individual images to enlarge them).



This is part 3 of a 7-part series on Audubon's Birds of America:


California Turkey Vulture

Californian Vulture

Californian Partridge

Canada Goose

Canada Jay

Canada Warbler

Canadian Titmouse

Canvas backed Duck

Cardinal Grosbeak 
chalk, pencil, watercolour and ink on paper 42.6 x 29 cm
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

Carolina Parrot

Carolina Pigeon or Turtle Dove

Cayenne Tern

Cerulean Warbler

Chesnut ( Chestnut )-backed Titmouse, Black-capt ( capped ) Titmouse,
and Chesnut ( Chestnut )-crowned Titmouse

Chestnut-coloured Finch, Black-headed Siskin, Black Crown Bunting
and Arctic Ground Finch

Chuck-will's Widow

Cock of the Plains

Columbia Jay

Columbian Humming Bird

Columbian Water Ouzel and Arctic Water Ouzel

Common American Gull

Common American Swan

Common Buzzard

Common Cormorant

Common Gallinule

Connecticut Warbler

Cormorant

Crested Grebe

Crested Titmouse A.W., Parus Bicolor 
transparent and opaque watercolour and graphite on paper 43.7 x 21.9 cm
Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA

Dusky Albatros

Dusky Duck

Eared Grebe

Eider Duck

Eskimo Curlew

Evening Grosbeak and Spotted Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak watercolour original

Ferruginous Mocking Bird

Field Sparrow

Fish Crow

Fish Hawk, or Osprey

Florida Jay

Wednesday 6 January 2016

Audubon: Birds of America part 2

John James Audubon self-portrait 1826

John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) is perhaps the most renowned wildlife artist in America, universally acknowledged by both art and natural history museums. He was born in 1875 in Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (now Haiti).

From his father's Pennsylvania estate, Audubon made the first bird-ringing experiments. After failing in various business ventures, he concentrated on drawing and studying birds, which took him from Florida to Labrador. His extraordinary four-volume The Birds of America, first published in London in 1827, was a 12-year enterprise that exponentially increased the knowledge of American ornithological and natural history.


The images featured in this series are mainly hand-coloured etchings and aquatints, with a few original watercolours here and there. (You can click on individual images to enlarge them).



This is part 2 of a 7-part series on Audubon's Birds of America:

(Click on the images for a larger version showing more detail)


Black Harrier

Black Skimmer, or Shearwater

Black Tern

Black Vulture

Black Warrior

Black, or Surf Duck

Black-bellied Plover

Black-billed Cuckoo

Black-headed Gull

Black-Poll Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Black-throated Bunting

Black-Throated Diver

Black-throated green Warbler, Blackburnian, Mourning Warbler

Black-throated Guillemot, Nobbed-billed Auk, Curled-Crested Auk and Horned-billed Guillemot

Black-Winged Hawk

Blackburnian Warbler

Blue Crane, or Heron

Blue Grosbeak

Blue Jay

Blue-bird

Blue-eyed yellow Warbler

Blue-green Warbler

Blue-Grey Fly-catcher

Blue-headed Pigeon

Blue-Winged Teal

Blue-winged Yellow Warbler

Boat-tailed Grackle

Bohemian Chatterer

Bonaparte's Flycatcher

Bonapartian Gull

Booby Gannet

Brant Goose

Brasilian Caracara Eagle

Broad-winged Hawk

Brown Creeper and Californian Nuthatch

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Brown-Headed Nuthatch

Buff breasted Sandpiper

Bullock's Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Mexican Goldfinch and Varied Thrush

Burgomaster Gull

Burrowing Owl, Large-Headed Burrowing Owl and Little Night Owl