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In the early 1840's Audubon decided to paint the animals of North America. Having achieved worldwide fame with his "Birds", he joined with his son, John, and Dr. John Bachman of Charleston, S.C. to draw and describe America's quadrupeds. Like the birds, the animal paintings have no equal and are still considered the finest animal prints published in America. Audubon and his sons produced 150 folio drawings, measuring approximately 21 x 27 inches, hand-printed, and hand-colored by J. T. Bowen of Philadelphia. Each print is dated. John and Victor Audubon helped with the drawings with John being credited for many of the later plates as his father's health declined.
The below listed prints are Imperial Folio, First Edition Originals, with excellent color unless noted otherwise. About 300 sets were published.
The collector should bear in mind that while America's animals were discovered over a period of time, going back to the 1600's, they were not described and illustrated in one publication until John J. Audubon and Rev. John Bachman published the Imperial Folio of quadrupeds in the early 1840's. This was a monumental effort - considering that most of the animals are nocturnal. A few of the animals illustrated by Audubon and described by Bachman are so-called "mystery animals" as they are still unidentified. The print collector, besides owning an original Audubon print, will also possess a unique piece of American history. In addition, this process - a hand-colored stone lithograph - is an exquisite art form, never to be seen again due to what would be an exorbitant cost in today's world.
To our knowledge, for the first time on the internet, the Audubon/Bachman names of the animals are accompanied by the common names used by mammalogists today when they differ from those used in the 1800's.
( Eighteen of the prints on this list (those marked with an asterisk*) were part of an exhibition titled JOHN JAMES AUDUBON IN THE WEST - THE LAST EXPEDITION - Mammals of North America. This exhibition was originated by the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, where it opened on June 23, 2000. The exhibit then appeared at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, October 29, 2000 until January 21, 2001; the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX, March 24 until May 28, 2001, and finally at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, CA, June 23 until September 10, 2001. A book titled AUDUBON IN THE WEST was published to accompany these exhibitions, and photos of some of the prints appear in the book. Thus, these particular prints have a special provenance in that they were exhibited in prominent museums. The Certificate of Authenticity which is given with each print will refer to this exhibition in those cases where the print was used. Ed Kenney.)
Following are some reference books on Audubon's animals. Obviously, many books have been written on his birds and animals and are easily found in libraries or on the internet:
- Boehme, Sarah - John James Audubon in the West: The Last Expedition, to accompany exhibits at Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody, Wyoming, and three other museum shows, Abrams Press, 2000
- Cahalane, Victor - The Imperial Collection of Audubon Animals, Hammond, Inc., 1967
- Ford, Alice - John James Audubon: A Biography, Abbeville Press, 1988
- Ford, Alice - Audubon's Animals: The Quadrupeds of North America, New York Studio, 1951
- Krammer, William - Audubon's Quadrupeds of North America, Wellfleet Press, 1989
- McDermott, John - Audubon in the West, University of Oklahoma Press, 1965
- Peterson, Roger Tory - The Art of Audubon: the Complete Birds and Mammals, New York Times Books, 1979
Following is a list of the plates :
Plate 3 – TOWNSEND’S ROCKY MOUNTAIN HARE (WHITE-TAILED JACK RABBIT) – Very important American quadruped. $3,750
Plate 5 - RICHARDSON'S COLUMBIAN SQUIRREL (RED SQUIRREL) - Beautiful composition of two Red Squirrels on birch tree trunk. Occurs from Arctic Circle south (in the mountains) to northern South Carolina and southern New Mexico. Dated 1842. $3,500
Plate 7 - CAROLINA SQUIRREL - Important image of a widely distributed squirrel, full sheet, 21 x 28 inches, excellent color and condition, dated 1844. Squirrels shown in Sycamore tree. $5,500
Plate 10 - COMMON AMERICAN SHREW MOLE (EASTERN MOLE) - One of the most interesting landscapes in all of Audubon's quadruped series, it is found throughout the U. S. Note waterfall and farmer plowing in field. $1,400
Plate 13 – MUSK RAT – Family group near water. Important aquatic animal. Dated 1843. $1,500
Plate 20 - TOWNSEND’S GROUND SQUIRREL (Townsend’s Chipmunk) - Largest of western chipmunks, likes brushy habitat. Nice condition and color. $2,250
Plate 24 - FOUR-STRIPED GROUND SQUIRREL (COLORADO CHIPMUNK) – Very nice landscape with squirrels reaching for blue and red berries. Dated 1843. $2,000*
Plate 26 - WOLVERINE - Stunning composition of this important and threatened animal - mascot, Michigan University football team. Framed to museum standards, dated 1834. Margin restoration. $3,750
Plate 30 - COTTON RAT - Eating sweet potato in field near farm house and rice field. $2,500
Plate 35 - MIGRATORY SQUIRREL (EASTERN GREY SQUIRREL) - Important squirrel, dated 1844. $2,750
Plate 40 - WHITE FOOTED MOUSE - An abundant species found all over U.S. Dated 1843. $2,750
Plate 41 - PENNANTS MARTIN OR FISHER - Good image of this important animal. Dated 1844. $3,750
Plate 42 - AMERICAN SKUNK – Important American animal. $4,750
Plate 45 - WILSON'S MEADOW MOUSE (MEADOW MOLE) - Very nice landscape. Dated 1844. $650
Plate 46 - AMERICAN BEAVER - Important image of this common animal, framed with French mat. Consignment print - not in inventory. $7,500
Plate 49 - DOUGLASS'S SPERMOPHILE (CALIFORNIA GROUND SQUIRREL) - Also found in Oregon. $350
Plate 51 - CANADA OTTER (RIVER OTTER) - One of Audubon's most dramatic images, obviously a favorite with him as he duplicated it in oil and sold copies in England and the U. S. The more appropriate name is River Otter, as it is mostly found in rivers and also not limited to Canada. The trap serves as a good reminder of our duty to protect our fauna. $2,750
Plate 64 - LITTLE AMERICAN BROWN WEASEL (ERMINE) - Two weasels on rocks, woods in background. Dated 1845. French mat. $1,200*
Plate 65 - LITTLE HARVEST MOUSE - Classic Audubon mice in cornfield. $2,500
Plate 74 – BREWER’S SHREW MOLE (HAIRY-TAILED MOLE) – Flowers in foreground, town in background. Dated 1845. $650*
Plate 78 - BLACK-TAILED DEER (MULE DEER) - Audubon shown as hunter in background. Dated 1845. $4,500
Plate 79 - ANNULATED MARMOT SQUIRREL (RING-TAILED GROUND SQUIRREL) - Sent to Audubon by Spencer Baird. Dated 1845. $350*
Plate 82 - RED TEXAN WOLF - Very important animal, several small margin tears, 21 x 27 inches. Wolf shown along stream with cattle horn in foreground. $6,500
Plate 84 - FRANKLIN'S GROUND SQUIRREL - One of my favorite of all of Audubon's animal prints. Indian war party in right background and Indian village in center background. This critter is found from western Indiana and Kansas to Saskatchewan. Dated 1846. $2,500
Plate 99 - PRAIRIE DOG – Important animal. Dated 1846. $3,500
Plate 100 - MISSOURI MOUSE (NORTHERN GRASSHOPPER MOUSE) - Western mouse. Mat burn. Dated 1846. $850*
Plate 105 – COLUMBIA POUCHED RAT (NORTHERN POCKET GOPHER) – River and mountains in background. Dated 1846. Trimmed. $300*
Plate 106 - COLUMBIAN BLACK-TAILED DEER - Excellent condition and color, major western area quadruped, 21 3/4 x 27 3/4 inches, dated 1847. $4,500
Plate 107 - LEWIS' MARMOT (YELLOW-BELLIED MARMOT) - Impressive animal, with large green vine in background. $650
Plate 109 - CALIFORNIA MARMOT SQUIRREL (MEXICAN GROUND SQUIRREL) - Mountain setting with cactus in foreground. Dated 1847. $1,200
Plate 110 – MOLE-SHAPED POUCHED RAT ( NORTHERN POCKET GOPHER) – Lake Scene. Dated 1847. Trimmed. $300*
Plate 113 - ESKIMO DOG - Stunning portrait of this domestic work dog with wonderful Alaskan lodge, natives and harnessed dog in background. $4,750
Plate 118 - LONG-TAILED DEER (COLUMBIA WHITE-TAILED DEER) - Stunning image of this deer in a mid-air jump, 18 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches, dated 1847. Very decorative. $4,500
Plate 120 – TAWNY'S/BACK’S LEMMING (BROWN LEMMING) - Beautiful landscape of mountains, grass. Dated 1847. $450*
Plate 125 – AMERICAN MARSH SHREW (WATER VOLE) – Lovely scene of lake and landscape. Colors excellent. Very decorative. Dated 1847. $1,750
Plate 130 – POUCHED JEROBA MOUSE (PHILLIPS KANGAROO RAT) – A species found on Western plains. Dated 1847. $350
Plate 142 – CAMAS RAT (NORTHERN POCKET GOPHER) – Family group on seashore. Dated 1848. $950*
Plate 147 – AMERICAN SOUSLIK, OREGON MEADOW MOUSE AND TEXAS MEADOW MOUSE - Very nice. Dated 1848. $450
FACSIMILES OF AUDUBON'S QUADRUPEDS
These are high-quality facsimiles of the folio animals measuring 22 x 28 inches, issued in early 1970s by Southart Parkway, in photo-offset color on rag paper. Limited to 750 copies, these fine facsimiles are excellent choices for decorating your home or office. The originals sell for as much as $30,000.
Plate 21 – Grey Fox - $300
Plate 22 – Grey Rabbit - $250
Plate 31 – Collard Peccary - $200
Plate 61 – Raccoon - $200
Plate 82 – Texas Wolf - $150
Plate 86 - Ocelot - $250
Plate 89 – Say’s Squirrel - $150
Plate 101 – Jaguar - $250
Plate 133 – Texas Hare - $200
Plate 136 – Common Deer - $250
Plate 146 – Armadillo - $250
Audubon Prints & Books Limited Partners 2010 - 11