
The heroic task of locating, collecting, and depicting every species of bird native to North America. He lost it through neglect, distracted by the overwhelming bounty and variety of exotic birds he found in the region. In the first decade of the nineteenth century he immigrated to the United States to manage a farm his family owned near Philadelphia. John James Audubon was born in Haiti and educated in France, where he began to explore the natural environment and develop his talent for drawing and eye for beauty. When his pictures were first published, some naturalists objected to Audubon’s use of dramatic action and pictorial design, but these are the qualities that set his work apart and make it not only an invaluable record of early American wildlife but an unmatched work of American art. Although Audubon was not the first to attempt such a comprehensive catalog, his work departed from conventional scientific illustration, which showed lifeless specimens against a blank background, by presenting the birds as theyĪppeared in the wild. The massive publication includes life-size representations of nearly five hundred species of North American birds. His drawing of the flamingo offers “ beautiful details of the long legs that help the flamingo wade into deep water, webbed toes to support it on muddy ground, a serpentine neck to twist the head backward in the water, and a boomerang-shaped beak to filter water and trap food.” Today Audubon prints are incredibly valuable and are sold as masterful works of art.American Flamingo is one of the 435 hand-colored engravings that make up John James Audubon’s monumental Birds of America, issued in four volumes between 18. In regards to the American Flamingo - rather than give up size and detail, Audubon chose to depict the bird bending down, as if it was about to dip its beak into the water. However, the American flamingo can stand almost five feet high. The original books were three feet tall by two feet wide - enough room for life-sized drawing of almost any bird in America. His biggest contribution to ease of visibility was that he painted the birds as close to their actual size as possible. He presented the birds at eye level to make them clearly visible.
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When his prints were first published, some scientists and naturalists objected to Audubon’s use of artistic dramatic action and pictorial design “These are the qualities that set his work apart and made it not only an invaluable record of early American wildlife but an unmatched work of American art.” - Henry AtkinsonĪudubon wanted to make Birds of America useful to both professional and amateur ornithologists.

When Audubon showed birds as they appeared in the wild and in many cases in books so large he could present them life-sized, the public was enthralled. John James Audubon’s was the first to attempt to catalog North American birds in more than just a common scientific illustration format, which basically was lifeless specimens against a blank background. The Audubon publication included life-sized representations of nearly five hundred species of North American birds. The four volumes of various Audubon prints of birds was published between 18. Lauderdale, FL and is featured in John James Audubon’s monumental book Birds of America. The popular Flamingo (now extinct) was drawn in Ft. The most famous of the Audubon Prints titled American Flamingo - John Audubon created this iconic drawing of an American flamingo as part of his 435 hand-colored engravings.
