John James Audubon. Plate 302. “White-tailed Ptarmigan.” From The Birds of America.
New York: George R. Lockwood, ca. 1875. Royal octavo. Sheet: ca. 6 1/2 x 10 ¼. Lithograph, printed with color. Very good condition.
John James Audubon, known both for his romantic life and his superb prints, is the most famous of all American natural history artists. For his pioneering travel around the United States in search of new subjects in the wild, his lifelike and dramatic style, and his monumental works on the birds and quadrupeds of North America, Audubon is, perhaps, also the greatest American natural history artist. Beginning in 1827, Audubon began to issue the prints for his monumental The Birds of America, which when completed ran to a total of 435 double elephant folio prints. Because of the continued strong demand for these prints, Audubon had smaller, octavo size editions of these prints issued. These were produced with the same concern for quality and aesthetic appeal as the larger editions, resulting in a wonderful opportunity for the general public to own a part of Audubon’s marvelous work.
More from Audubon's Second and later Edition Octavo bird series:
pl. 10 Broad-winged Buzzard [Hawk]
pl. 80 Bay-breasted Wood-Warbler
pl. 95 Black Throated Blue Wood Warbler
pl. 96 Black & Yellow Wood-Warbler
pl. 141 Ferruginous Mocking Bird
pl. 201 White Winged Crossbill
pl. 203 Common Cardinal Grosbeak
pl. 205 Rose-breasted Long-Grosbeak
pl. 208 Summer Redbird [Summer Tanager]
pl. 246 Cedar Bird [Cedar Waxwing]
pl. 256 Ivory-billed Woodpecker
pl. 364 Yellow-crowned Night Heron
pl. 370 Great American White Egret
pl. 382 Trumpeter Swan (Adult)