Audubon, John James “Black Vulture.” Pl. 3

John James Audubon.  Plate 3.  “Black Vulture.”  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.