Hunting, fishing, drawing, and music occupied my every moment; cares I knew not, and cared naught about them. I purchased excellent and beautiful horses, visited all such neighbors as I found congenial spirits, and was as happy as happy could be.
b. 1785 d. 1851
Site Affiliation: John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove
John James Audubon is renowned for his remarkably beautiful and accurate paintings of birds. He was born on the French colony of San Domingue and spent his childhood in France. Audubon moved to the United States at age 18 when he lived at Mill Grove and developed his artistic process. From 1806, Audubon studied, captured, and painted birds in locations from Florida to Labrador and westward to the Mississippi River. Between 1827-1838, he worked with the London engraver Robert Havell, Jr. to publish The Birds of America, an astounding compendium of 435 hand-colored plates depicting birds at life size. In 1840, Audubon published the smaller “octavo” lithograph edition with John T. Bowen of Philadelphia. John James Audubon died in New York in 1851. Decades later, the first Audubon Society for the Protection of Birds was named in his honor.
Primary Medium: Watercolor
Primary Stylistic Term: Natural History
Fun Fact: John James Audubon fell in love with Lucy Bakewell during his time at Mill Grove. She lived at the neighboring farm called Fatland Ford. They married in 1808. Lucy made The Birds of America possible by working as an educator to support their family while her husband pursued painting birds.
Recommended Publications: Audubon as Artist: A New Look at The Birds of America by Roberta Olson (2024)