John James Audubon Prints

John James Audubon (1785–1851) spent thirty years travelling the American continent, observing birds in the wild and producing the paintings that became the Birds of America — the most celebrated natural history publication ever produced and, arguably, the greatest sustained work of art in American history.

About the Birds of America

The Birds of America was published in four elephant folio volumes between 1827 and 1838, containing 435 hand-coloured aquatint engravings. Each plate shows birds at life size — a requirement that pushed the publication's format to the largest then commercially produced. The paintings show birds in characteristic poses, with naturalistic accuracy, against American landscape settings of extraordinary beauty.

Audubon's approach was revolutionary: where previous bird illustration showed specimens against white backgrounds, Audubon showed birds alive — in motion, feeding, fighting, resting, in their natural environments. The drama and vitality of the resulting images has never been surpassed.

Audubon's Most Celebrated Plates

• The Great Blue Heron — one of the most immediately impressive of all the plates.
• The Flamingo — the extraordinary large format accommodating the full height of the standing flamingo.
• The Wild Turkey — Plate 1 of the publication, an instantly recognisable and beloved image.
• Raptors and birds of prey — the eagle, osprey, and hawk plates are among the most dramatic in the collection.
• Songbirds and small species — Audubon's small bird plates are extraordinarily delicate despite being shown at life size.

Sizes and Framing

Audubon prints are available in seven sizes from 21x30cm to 100x150cm, framed or unframed. All produced on 230gsm matte art paper with archival inks.

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