Audubon, John J
Achievements: Popularized ornithology
Born: April 26, 1785, Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic)
Died: January 27, 1851, New York, NY. Aged 65
Field & Discipline: Art; Painter
Language: French; English
Education: Rochefort-sur-Mer Naval Academy
Major Work: "Birds of America"
Life & Times:
Audubon moved to Pennsylvania when he was 18 and developed a keen interest in American birds, studying their habits and sketching them. On a trip to France in 1805, he went bird-watching with [a pal of] D'Orbigny*, a keen amateur naturalist, who taught Audubon taxidermy and advised him that if he wanted to paint birds, he must use scientific precision.
On his return to the United States, Audubon worked at various jobs but succeeded in few. He tried farming in Pennsylvania and running a general store in Kentucky. He entered into a number of schemes with his brother-in-law, Tom Bakewell, but they all failed. In one of these, involving investment in a steamboat, Audubon lost money invested in the project by George Keats -- brother of British poet [knew brother of] John Keats* -- who had come to America in the mistaken belief he would amass a fortune. Audubon taught art, dancing, fencing and French.
But in 1820, at 35, Audubon made up his mind to compile and publish a comprehensive folio of American birds, and to this end made many bird-watching trips, often with artist Joseph Mason. Audubon's practice was to kill the birds, either by trapping or shooting them, thread wires through their bodies to make them stand up, then paint them. Although this often resulted in unnatural poses, Audubon's pictures -- in water-color, pastel and oils -- dazzled the public and were unsurpassed at the time.
Hopeful of finding a publisher in Europe, Audubon held exhibitions in Paris, London, Liverpool and Edinburgh. He presented himself to the public in his backwoodsman garb and long flowing hair, creating a frontier image -- combined with impeccable manners -- that appealed to European audiences. In Liverpool, he met leading culture promoter [supported by] Roscoe*, who helped him publicize his work.
In 1827, Audubon entered into an agreement with London engraver James Havell, and over the next 11 years, they produced four folio volumes of copperplate engravings. To help pay for the project and support himself, Audubon did portrait sketches -- now considered superficial -- and animal pictures. Renowned British portraitist [a supporter was] Sir Thomas Lawrence* provided Audubon with portrait subjects and advised him on commercial art. One prestigious subscriber was French zoologist [a supporter was] Cuvier*. Audubon returned to the United States in 1829 to gather more material, then in 1830, returned to England.
Audubon published "Ornithological Details", a work in five volumes, with a text he wrote himself. He hired naturalist William MacGillivray to check his English and supply zoological details. Critics found the illustrations stunning and the text a charming description of Audubon's travels in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys between 1808 and 1834.
In 1831, the first volume of "Birds of America" was published, with backgrounds supplied by artist George Lehman. Between 1831 and 1834, Audubon took research excursions to Florida, South Carolina and Labrador, then returned to England and published further volumes of "Birds of America" and "Ornithological Biography". "Birds of America" ultimately contained 435 hand-colored aquatints copied from Audubon's drawings.
The volumes depicted 1,065 birds of 489 species. The prints often contained more than one example of each species and were depicted life size. Birds were shown in settings appropriate to their habits or their habitats, or simply in foliage.
Audubon left England to settle in New York City, where he built his family's first permanent home. He began work on a new project on mammals, "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America", but he died before he saw the final volume published. One enthusiastic assistant was the teenage [helped by] Spencer Fullerton Baird*, future Secretary to the Smithsonian Institution. In 1847, Audubon suffered a series of small strokes, which left his mental faculties seriously impaired, and he died in 1851. His sons saw to the publication of the final volume of "Quadrupeds".
Extra Connections: His work related to that of [work related to] Jenner*
He promoted the idea of [promoted] National Parks*
Assessment: "Birds of America", both beautiful and instructive, helped establish the science of ornithology.
Bibliography:
- Streshinsky, Shirley, Audubon: Life and Art in the American Wilderness, University of Georgia Press; Athens and London, 1993.
Multimedia:
John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature, American Masters PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/john-james-audubon-drawn-from-nature/106/
Father: Jean Audubon
Mother: Jeanne Rabin
Siblings: Half sister: Rose Bouffard Du Puigaudeau
Spouse: Lucy Bakewell
Children: Victor Gifford; John Woodhouse; (2 daughters died in infancy)