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John
James Audubon Biography
John
James Audubon (1785-1851) John Audubon gave several different accounts
of his birth, but the discovery of records in France in the early
1900's established that he was the son of a French Naval Captain and
a French girl who worked for Captain Audubon at his sugar plantation
in San Domingo (Haiti). Audubon's real mother died within a short
time after his birth so Audubon's father took him back to France as
a young child where he was adopted by Captain Audubon and his legal
wife. Apparently to hide his illegitimate birth, Audubon gave different
stories and led some people to believe he was born in Louisiana or
was the son of Louis XVI, the King of France. A book entitled I Who
Should Command All, explores the possibility that Audubon was, in
fact, the Lost Dauphin who disappeared from the tower during the French
Revolution. As a teenager, Captain Audubon sent his son to manage
his plantation near Philadelphia. It was here that Audubon met and
married his wife, Lucy, whose support was critical in achieving his
success. During his early married years he was unsuccessful in business
and attained fame as an artist only after many troubled years. Audubon
succeeded only because he went to England where his work was appreciated
and subscribers made possible the long publication of his 435 prints
(1826 to 1838). In the 1830's Audubon also wrote his Ornithological
Biography which describes the habits of the birds he drew. He interspersed
these bird biographies with episodes on life in America during this
turbulent period. His writings are now considered a literary treasure
and should be explored by the serious Audubon collector. After being
successful with the birds, as with any great artist, Audubon turned
to another subject and undertook to publish the animals of America.
This proved more difficult than he had anticipated, as many of our
animals were nocturnal and their habits were hard to learn. He was
greatly aided by a Lutheran minister in Charleston, South Carolina,
Dr. John Bachman, whose daughters were the first wives of his two
sons, John W. and Victor Audubon. In fact, John drew over half of
the 155 animal plates, and Victor contributed by managing the sales
and drawing many of the backgrounds. Audubon made a trip to the "western
regions" in the 1840's, his last great adventure prior to his
death in 1851. He chased the great Buffalo herds, but never achieved
his dream of reaching the West Coast. Few men of his age enjoyed the
travels of Audubon. He spent days and weeks in the woods studying
birds and animals; and his spectacular drawings, which were criticized
by some, were scenes he actually witnessed. He traveled to Paris to
sell his book and never accepted an offer for a single print, always
insisting that the book be sold intact. This is one reason his prints
are so rare today.
Audubon Prints
