Bald eagles were becoming numerous on the river by then; they hunted in pairs and roosted high in the trees above their eight-foot nests, swapping down to attack and prey that passed below them. Richard Rhodes on Audubon's journey down the Mississippi in 1820

{HISTORY}

Here they are... the Birds of America fluttering all about the shop! If you are unfamiliar with his work and this distinctive collection, between the years of 1827-1838, John James Audubon (1785-1851), the world's most famous bird painter, published a series of drawings of over 400 bird species depicted in their natural habitats. Capturing not only the physical characteristics of each bird but also their personality, Audubon's interpretations were nothing but extraordinary then and have remained, over the course of 200 years, equally as enchanting as when they originally debuted. 

In 1953, new plates were made of Audubon's original 1800's era watercolor drawings, copper plates, and aqua-tinted prints and from there, his Birds of America were reprinted in book form by Macmillan Publishing in 1965. This set of Audubon prints offered in the shop are original bookplates from the seventh Macmillan edition published in 1967. Rescued from the brink of destruction,  this midcentury book of beautiful birds was in terrible shape, with missing coverboards, an exposed spine, disintegrating end-papers, and ripped apart pages, but luckily many of the bird prints inside survived.  We are so pleased to be able to offer these gorgeous prints in the shop not only for their stunning beauty but also for their effortlessly classic and elegant contribution to your stylish kitchen decor.   Each print is two-sided, featuring two distinct types of birds and both contain ornithological notes on each type of bird. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Bookplate No.32  - Black-Billed Cuckoo 

- Bookplate No. 31 - Bald Eagle

- Includes ornithological information about each bird 

 - Colors include chestnut, white, pine, lime, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate, emerald, peach, pastel celadon, lemon, beige, mint, grey, pastel blue, and coral 

{CONDITION} 

This bookplate is in clean and bright condition. A ragged edge on one side shows where the print was salvaged from the original bookbinding. There is a small notch in the paper (about 1/16th of an inch) on the left edge on the cuckoo side near the bottom corner. That notch appears on the eagle side near the top right corner along with some light foxing on that side as well. 

{SIZE}

Measures 9" inches (width) x 12" inches (length)

{STYLE IDEA}

Create your own botanical wall art collage by combining John James Bird's with other flower prints in the shop here for a stunning garden that blooms all year round!