Lot #11: Double Elephant Folio-sized Audubon "Stanley Hawk" Lithograph

This signifiant piece is a very high-quality lithographic reproduction of a plate from the Robert Havell edition of John James Audubon's "Birds of America." The volumes were self-published by Audubon in the double elephant folio size of 26.5" X 39.5"; this print is slightly larger. Audubon, 1785-1851, needs little introduction--his comprehensive studies of North American birds are iconic. Born in Haiti, Audubon was the illegitimate son of a sugar plantation owner and a chambermaid. Raised by his father in France, he immigrated to America as a teenager, using a false passport his father gave him, to avoid being drafted into the Napoleonic wars. His interest in nature combined with his rapidly developing skills as an artist, and with his innovative means of staging birds he had shot so as to draw them most accurately. He traveled the country, observing birds, their behavior, their surroundings, and began to create the watercolors that would eventually be collected in his monumental "Birds of America." Truly monumental--each of the 453 plates was double elephant folio-sized, in order to show the birds at life size. He was obliged to raise the money himself for the publication of the 4-volume work over a period of years, which he did by selling subscriptions and paintings, to the tune of just over 2M in today's dollars. Robert Havell Jr., an artist in his own right, handled all but 10 of Audubon's 453 plates for Birds of America. A painter, printmaker, engraver, colorist, he was hired by his father, the publisher Audubon had engaged, to make the printing plates and hand-color the prints, after Audubon's originals. Havell Jr. and Audubon became friends over the course of the collaboration, and likely influenced each other as their subjects were often similar. Period oak frame, with two drill holes at each bottom corner, as shown. The print is in excellent condition. Dimensions: 31.5"W X 44.5"H Pickup category timeslot {B}