John James Audubon, born in 1785, was a naturalist his whole life, preferring the outdoors and the natural world to everything else. He particularly loved birds, and traveled widely in the American countryside, learning everything he could about them. He honed his artistic talents by drawing birds from life. It was Audubon’s ambition to paint and describe every bird that lived in eighteenth century America.
The Inspiration and Techniques of John James Audubon
In his autobiography, Audubon identified the death of a pet parrot in his childhood as inspiration of his lifelong love for birds (see Burroughs, 8). The unfortunate bird, he remembered, was killed by another household pet, a monkey, despite Audubon’s rescue efforts. In addition to this dreadful memory, Audubon was probably influenced by his father, who encouraged his interest in nature.
Audubon moved to Philadelphia in his late teens and continued an already avid interest in birds. A sportsman, he shot many birds and collected both dead birds and bird’s eggs. He mastered the art of taxidermy then preserved his specimens and posed them in lifelike positions. While he often used these specimens as models for his art practice, he also enjoyed drawing live birds, paying close attention to their habits, diets, and preferred habitat.
Learning new techniques as the opportunity arose, and working at various times as both a portrait artist and an art teacher, Audubon perfected his art, amassing a collection of thousands of illustrations. Though he was not the first bird artist of his day – a Scot, Alexander Wilson, wrote and published the first book of American bird illustrations – he remains the most famous.
John James Audubon’s Bird Artwork
The bird artwork of John James Audubon endures, not only because he was a gifted and accurate artist, but because he illustrated the birds in life size, included different plumages, and made each painting a scene that depicted habitat and sometimes diet. His illustrations of plants and geologic features are as accurate and beautiful as his drawings of birds.
There were, and still are, those that criticize Audubon’s work. Chief among the criticisms are that his paintings are sometimes overly dramatic, and that they show birds in unnatural positions. Audubon’s defenders point out that he was not just illustrating birds, he was creating works of art that should be engaging and entertaining, and that odd positions allowed him to illustrate physical features of the birds that are otherwise hard to see.
Audubon’s Birds of America
Though Audubon sought publication in America, it wasn’t until he took his collection of bird artwork to England in 1826, that he became well known, and gained the resources and support he needed to publish. The first volume of Birds of America was published soon after, with a second volume coming out in 1834. By 1844, seven volumes had been printed. All of his publications have been reprinted many times since.
Because Audubon kept journals as he traveled about studying and drawing birds, we know about the experiences and thoughts that formed the foundation of his books. His prose, included in the volumes, is elegant and interesting to read.
For example, Audubon’s painting of the Red-throated Diver (Red-throated Loon, Gavia stellata; plate 478) was published in the seventh volume of Birds of America. The loons are set in a rocky aquatic habitat surrounded by pitcher plants and other vegetation, and the picture includes female and summer male plumages, a juvenile in winter, and a young bird.
In the text for the Red-throated Diver, Audubon begins: “Whilst the icicles are yet hanging from the rocks of our eastern shores and the snows are gradually giving way… the Red-throated Diver is seen to commence his flight” (Audubon, 299). Audubon then goes on in the same voice to describe in detail their migration pattern, summer breeding ground, nesting habits, behavior, development etc. in much more detail than standard bird guides do today.
Almost two hundred years after his first volume of bird illustrations was published, John James Audubon’s art in Birds of America is treasured by the birders of North America, and he retains his place as a leader in American ornithology.
Sources
John James Audubon. Burroughs, John. Boston: Small, Maynard & Co., 2002
“John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature.” Chowder, Ken. American Masters.pbs.org
“John James Audubon 1785 – 1851.” audubon.org
The Birds of America. Vol VII. Audubon, John James. Philadelphia: E. G. Dorsey. 1839.
Rosemary Drisdelle - Rosemary Drisdelle has been published many times as a nonfiction writer and several times as a poet. Her first book, Parasites: Tales of ...
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