Audubon’s Aviary: The Final Flight (Part III of The Complete Flock) on view at the NYHS
This Spring, the New-York Historical Society will conclude its acclaimed series of once-in-a-lifetime exhibitions celebrating the legendary John James Audubon’s original watercolor models for The Birds of America (1827–38). Audubon’s Aviary: The Final Flight (Part III of The Complete Flock) will offer an unprecedented opportunity to explore the evolution of Audubon’s dazzling watercolors in the order in which they were engraved. In this final installment of the series of three exhibitions, New-York Historical will showcase the final selection of masterpieces from its collection of Audubon’s watercolor models for the sumptuous double-elephant-folio print edition of The Birds of America. The museum holds all 435 watercolor models for its 435 plates, engraved by Robert Havell Jr., plus an additional 39 avian watercolors of birds by Audubon.
The Final Flight tracks Audubon through the final chapters of gathering the birds that had eluded him, as he also mapped new species and grappled with the latest information from expeditions to the West. Not wishing to lose subscribers, to declare bankruptcy, or to destroy his health, Audubon accelerated his schedule and became extraordinarily inventive in completing his “great work.” Among the more than 180 species depicted, the exhibition includes now extinct birds such as the Great Auk and endangered species like the California Condor. It ends with the American Dipper, for the final Havell plate 435 of The Birds of America, which together with Audubon’s first watercolor model of the Wild Turkey for Havell plate 1 (shown in Part I of The Complete Flock) bracket the North American continent from coast to coast.
Since Audubon never travelled West of the Missouri River, he depended on the observations and specimens gathered by early explorers of the western territories, such as Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) and William Clark (1770–1838), as well as the naturalists Thomas Nuttall (1809–1851) and John Kirk Townsend (1786–1859), members of the expedition led by Captain Nathaniel Wyeth (1802–1856) to the Pacific Northwest in 1833–36. Audubon bought a sizeable number of bird skins, specimens and nests from Nuttall in 1836, and then went to Charleston, South Carolina, to paint many of his watercolors of Western species. He continued this work in London, where he consulted specimens of outlier species in private collections and the London Zoological Society.
Curated by Dr. Roberta J.M. Olson, Curator of Drawings at the New-York Historical Society, the Audubon’s Aviary trilogy allows New-York Historical Society’s visitors the opportunity to view these national treasures sequentially—the same way Audubon’s original subscribers received the Havell prints. Audubon organized his watercolor models and the corresponding Havell plates not by taxonomy, as was the tradition, but according to his judgments, including which watercolors he considered ready for engraving. He believed this order was closer to that of nature, and it was arguably more interesting for his subscribers because they received their prints in groups of five (usually one large, one medium, and three small). Viewed in this manner, the Audubon’s Aviary series examines the struggles and decisions the artist made in order to bring his “great work” to fruition and to successfully market it.
From tiny chickadees to the enormous Great Grey Owl., these watercolors document important aspects of America’s natural world, and underscore the vital importance of preserving our natural heritage.
Image Caption: John James Audubon, American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), Study for Havell pl. 431, 1838. Watercolor, graphite, gouache, black ink, and pastel with glazes on paper, laid on card. New-York Historical Society, Purchased for the Society by public subscription from Mrs. John J. Audubon, 1863.17.431.