Audubon’s exquisite bird paintings owe a debt to classical European art
When John James Audubon immigrated to the United States from France in 1803, his timing was fortuitous. That same year, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of U.S. territory, deepening national curiosity about what lay in the vastness.
Audubon (1785-1851) answered that interest with “The Birds of America,” a mammoth pictorial survey of ornithological wildlife from the continent. People back in Europe were also intrigued, and Audubon capitalized on the endeavor’s broader appeal.
