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A Selection from John J. Audubon's Birds of America

A Selection from John J. Audubon's Birds of America

John J. Audubon (1785–1851) was an American naturalist and artist. His Birds of America (published 1827–1838) contains 435 prints, created through observations of birds and their native environments. This collection displays 155 of those 435. Birds of America was important in depicting a wide range of birds in their natural environments. Audubon’s legacy speaks to how we think about artists and authorship, as well as the complicated systems of power and privilege that affect access to the natural world.

While we often focus on the individual artist, many people were involved in the creation of Birds of America. Audubon worked with assistants including Joseph R. Mason (1808–1842), George Lehman (ca. 1830–1870), and Maria Martin Bachman (1796–1863). These assistants contributed many of the landscapes present in the prints. Others, like Robert Havell, Jr. (1793–1878), were hired to etch, print, and color the pieces based on the original watercolors. Working collaboratively in no way lessens Audubon’s achievements, but it is worth noting that some of his contemporaries took issue with how inconsistently he credited his collaborators.

Audubon’s legacy also reveals a certain element of privilege: who gets to enjoy birds. Although significant personal work went into creating Birds of America, Audubon still benefited from privileges inherited from his father. Audubon was born on Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) where his father owned a sugar plantation. In his early adulthood, Audubon lived in France but was sent to Pennsylvania to oversee his father’s estate Mill Grove and to escape the Napoleonic Wars, allowing him to begin his work with birds.

Privilege impacts who can interact with birds today as well. Where people live and their mobility affects what wild birds they will be able to see. Factors beyond their control such as class, race, and environment may leave them with little access to parks and greenways or beneath the pollution of powerplants and highways.

At the time of its printing, Birds of America allowed people to see a dazzling array of birds from many different environments gathered together. Just as in Audubon's time, the decisions we make now influence who is able to view birds, both in their natural habitats and in a museum context. We hope you enjoy this selection from the collection of a dazzling gathering of birds.

Gabrielle Friesen, Digital Collections Assistant and Blair Huff, Curatorial Assistant

2021

From April 8th, 2022 - July 30th, 2022 a selection of these works curated by CC students are on exhibit in the museum. Learn more about their selections here .

Collection Highlights
Fish Hawk or Osprey
John James Audubon
1832
Prothonotary Warbler
John James Audubon
1827-1838
Purple Finch
John James Audubon
1827-1838
Bonaparte's Flycatcher
John James Audubon
1827-1838