History Illustration Science
#birds #nature #watercolor
All 435 Illustrations from John J Audubon’s ‘Birds of America’ Are Available for Free Download
Pinnated Grouse, plate 186
If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to download free high resolution images of 435 bird illustrations, you’re finally in the right place. The National Audubon Society has recently made John James Audubon’s seminal Birds of America available to the public in a downloadable digital library (signing up for their email list is a prerequisite).
Birds of America was printed between 1827 and 1838, and was filled prints created from hand-engraved plates based on Audubon’s original watercolor paintings. In addition to the prints, each bird’s page also includes a recording of the animal’s call, plus extensive written texts from the period of the book’s printing.
Audubon is widely lauded as the individual who brought an awareness and appreciation of birds’ beauty and fragility; the National Audubon Society has been active since 1905. Explore more of the Society’s current conservation efforts, as well as ways to get involved, on their website. (via Open Culture)
Roseate Spoonbill, plate 321
American Magpie, plate 357
Sharp-tailed Finch, plate 149
Sooty Tern, plate 235
Summer, or Wood Duck, plate 206
Spotted Grouse, plate 176
American Flamingo, plate 431
#birds #nature #watercolor
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