John James Audubon, naturalist, explorer, and painter of North American birds and wildlife, was born 1785 in Haiti.
A Birthday for the Birds
John James Audubon, naturalist, explorer, and painter of North American birds and wildlife, was born 1785 in Haiti.
"In the swamps we met with warblers of various kinds, lively and beautiful, waiting in these their winter retreats for the moment when Boreas should retire to his icy home, and the gentle gales of the South should waft them toward their breeding-places in the North. Thousands of Swallows flew about us, the Cat-birds mewed in answer to their chatterings, the Cardinal Grosbeak elevated his glowing crest as he stood perched on the magnolia branch, the soft notes of the Doves echoed among the woods, nature smiled upon us, and we were happy."
—John James Audubon
Source: John James Audubon, "The Lost Portfolio," in J. J. Audubon, Ornithological Biography, Edinburgh, 1831–39, reprinted in Audubon and His Journals, vol. 2:, p. 253, quoted in the museum's publication National Museum of American Art. (Washington, D.C. and Boston, New York, Toronto and London: National Museum of American Art with Bulfinch Press, Little Brown and Company, 1995).
Pictured: John James Audubon, (1785 Haiti–1851 USA), Cardinal Grosbeak,1811, chalk, pencil, watercolor, and ink on paper, 16 13/16 x 11 5/16 in., Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Transfer from the U.S. National Museum.