Object Details
referenced
Audubon, John James
Havell, Jr., Robert
engraver
Havell, Jr., Robert
original artist
Audubon, John James
Description
Robert Havell Jr. engraved this copper plate in 1834 for John James Audubon's publication, Birds of America, published in Britain between 1827 and 1838 as a series of large folio engravings. The Museum's Graphic Arts Collection includes seven of the original copper plates and prints from a number of editions of the work.
Birds of America was published in several formats. The first large folio edition was intended for wealthy patrons or institutions. Later editions, produced in the United States. for a more general audience, included text and smaller, less costly lithographic illustrations.
Audubon introduced new species and new artistic forms. His dramatic images of birds, pictured life-size in animated poses with realistic backgrounds, represented a departure from the conventions of natural history illustration. His artistic ingenuity, as reproduced in engravings and lithographs, won new audiences for the subject of nature study, eventually leading to the organization of Audubon societies.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of William E. Dodge, Jr.
Date made
1834
ID Number
GA.16984
catalog number
16984
accession number
15996
Object Name
plate
plate, printing
Object Type
Aquatint
printing plates
Engraving
Other Terms
plate; Engraving
Physical Description
metal, steel-faced (overall material)
copper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 39 1/4 in x 26 1/8 in; 99.695 cm x 66.3575 cm
place made
United Kingdom: England, London
See more items in
Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
Natural Resources
Art
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Printmaking
Birds
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_802057