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Colour illustration of snowy owls

Capturing Nature

The Birds of America

John James Audubon

1827-38


John James Audubon was born in Haiti in 1785, raised in France and emigrated to America at the age of 18.

He demonstrated an early interest in natural history and, after a failed business venture, decided to devote himself to an ornithological survey of North American birds.

From then until his death in 1851, he was constantly at work observing, collecting and painting specimens.

In 1826 he travelled to London, seeking commercial partners and selling subscriptions for his proposed publication.

For the work, his life-size paintings were transferred to copper plates, printed, then hand-coloured. A complete set of The Birds of America comprises of 435 double-elephant folio plates, issued in 87 parts over 11 years.