1785–1851, American
ornithologist, b. Les
Cayes, Santo Domingo (now
Haiti). The son of a
French naval officer and
a Creole woman, he was
educated in France and
in 1803 came to the
Audubon estate, “Mill
Grove,” near
Philadelphia. There he
spent much time
observing birds and
making the first
American bird-banding
experiments. In 1808 he
married Lucy Bakewell,
whose faith and support
were factors in his
eventual success.
Between 1808 and 1820 he
lived mostly in
Kentucky, frequently
changing his occupation
and neglecting his
business to carry on his
bird observations.
He began painting
portraits for a
livelihood and descended
the Mississippi to New
Orleans, where for a
time he taught drawing.
From 1823 to 1828 his
wife conducted a private
school, in which he
taught for a short time,
in West Feliciana
parish, La. In 1826 he
went to Great Britain in
search of a publisher
and subscribers for his
bird drawings, meeting
with favorable response
in Edinburgh and London.
The Birds of America,
in elephant folio size,
was published in parts
between 1827 and 1838,
with engravings by
Robert Havell,Jr. The
accompanying text,
called the
Ornithological Biography
(5 vol., 1831–39), was
prepared largely in
Edinburgh in
collaboration with the
Scottish naturalist
William MacGillivray,
who was responsible for
its more scientific
information. Extracts
from Audubon's
contributions, edited in
1926 by F. H. Herrick as
Delineations of
American Scenery and
Character, reveal
his stylistic qualities
and furnish many
pictures of American
frontier life. Audubon
worked on a smaller
edition of his great
work and also, in
collaboration with John
Bachman, began The
Viviparous Quadrupeds of
North America, which
was completed by his
sons Victor Gifford
Audubon and John
Woodhouse Audubon
(plates, 30 parts,
1842–45; text, 3 vol.,
1846–54).
During these years
his home was on the
Hudson River in the
northern part of
Manhattan island. While
his drawings and
paintings of bird life
may not wholly satisfy
both the critical artist
and the meticulous
scientist, their
achievement in both
areas is considerable.
They remain one of the
great achievements of
American intellectual
history and have gained
wide popularity, having
been reprinted many
times.
