John James Audubon

Brown Pelican: An Original Audubon 1st Edition Hand-colored Bird Lithograph

1840

An original rare and extremely collectible first edition John James Audubon hand colored lithograph entitled "Long-billed Curlew", No. 71, Plate 355, from Audubon's "Birds of America...

An original rare and extremely collectible first edition John James Audubon hand colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "Trumpeter Swan, Young", No. 7...

This is an original rare and extremely collectible 1st royal octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "American Swan", No. 77, Plate 384, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was lithographed, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and published in Philadelphia between 1840-1844. It depicts an adult white American Swan swimming in a body of water. Plants with yellow flowers are in the foreground and hills are in the background. This original rare first edition hand-colored Audubon bird lithograph has a mildly wavy lower edge of the paper where it was previously bound. It is otherwise in excellent condition. The sheet measures 6.63" x 10.13". The original text pages 226-234 are included. John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a naturalist and artist. He was initially unsuccessful financially prior to the publication of his famous work “The Birds of America”, spending time in debtor’s prison, once stabbing a disgruntled investor in self-defense. However, his obsession with birds and art motivated him to persist in his goal of documenting every bird in America via his watercolor paintings and publishing his works for all to enjoy. Audubon's first illustrations were published in a large elephant folio size. Due to their expense they were purchased in rather small numbers by the wealthy. To reach a larger audience, Audubon, with the help of his sons and J. T. Bowen, published a smaller octavo sized lithograph version, which were much more affordable. With the success of his bird projects, Audubon then turned his attention to four-legged animals. He explored the Missouri River in 1843 sketching the four-legged animals he encountered in their natural setting. His expedition covered some of the same regions recently explored by Lewis and Clark, traveling from present day Alaska to Mexico. Audubon realized that this was an opportunity to document these animals in the still relatively pristine American wilderness, before man encroached on their environment. Between 1845 and 1848, Audubon and his sons John Woodhouse Audubon and Victor Gifford Audubon produced a set of elephant folio sized lithographs that were primarily engraved and hand colored by J. T. Bowen in Philadelphia. The publication, which included text descriptions of the animals was published 3 years before Audubon died. As with the birds, this was followed by a three-volume set of 155 octavo-sized plates entitled “The Quadrupeds of North America” completed and published by Audubon’s sons, John, Jr. and Victor. Audubon prints continue to be popular and a wise investment. The double elephant folio set...

This is a 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Dendrortyx Leucophrys" (White Eye-browed Partridges) by John Gould, published in his monograph 'A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America' in London between 1844-1850. Reportedly only 250 copies were printed. The print depicts two partridges, one standing and the other lying apparently on sand, surrounded by high grass. A landscape of plants and possibly water is seen in the background. This beautiful hand-colored lithograph is presented in a double cream-colored mat. There is one tiny spot in the left lower corner, faint spots in the right upper print and mild toning about the periphery which is covered by the mat. It is otherwise in excellent condition. It is accompanied by the original text page. John Gould (1841-1881) was an English contemporary of the American John James Audubon. Gould published his first illustrated book on birds in 1831 entitled "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains", followed by "Ramphastidae" and "Birds of Europe". He then extended the scope of his travels and research to include Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea, drawing birds in their natural habitat. Artists, such as his wife Elizabeth Gould, Henry Richter and Edward Lear, transferred his drawings to hand printed and hand colored stone lithographs, which are known for their beauty, detail and accuracy. As well as an exceptional and prolific artist, Gould was an outstanding scientific naturalist. In approximately 50 years he created approximately 3,000 lithographs of birds...

This original first edition hand-colored lithograph entitled "Canada Goose" was produced by J. T. Bowen after a drawing by John James Audubon. It was published in Audubon's first oct...

An original extremely collectible first octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph entitled "Purple Martin", No. 9, Plate 45, ...

Edition of 80. Signed and numbered in pencil. Really, no one could draw on a lithographic stone like Stow Wengenroth. He drew many animals and birds...

Antique bird egg chromolithograph , 1905, after Henrik Gronvold (1858-1940). 175mm by 105mm (image) 220mm by 140mm (sheet) From 'Catalogue of the Collection...

Antique bird egg chromolithograph , 1905, after Henrik Gronvold (1858-1940). 175mm by 105mm (image) 220mm by 140mm (sheet) From 'Catalogue of the Collection...

Antique bird egg chromolithograph , 1905, after Henrik Gronvold (1858-1940). 175mm by 105mm (image) 220mm by 140mm (sheet) From 'Catalogue of the Collection...

Antique bird egg chromolithograph , 1905, after Henrik Gronvold (1858-1940). 175mm by 105mm (image) 220mm by 140mm (sheet) From 'Catalogue of the Collection...

Antique bird egg chromolithograph , 1905, after Henrik Gronvold (1858-1940). 175mm by 105mm (image) 220mm by 140mm (sheet) From 'Catalogue of the Collection of Birds' Eggs in the B...