Name/Title
Townsend's Surf BirdEntry/Object ID
5754Description
Two birds (one white one black) flying low above water and two rocks.Context
John J. Audubon’s (1785-1851) book ‘Birds of America’ was originally printed with “Double Elephant folio” engravings, meaning 435 life size images of North American birds. Between 1840 and 1869, several editions of a smaller (“octavo”) version of the book were printed. The prints found in DePaul’s collection are from this later era, and were printed by J.T. Bowen in Philadelphia. Bowen used a “camera lucida” to project the large engravings on lithographic stone which was then hand drawn and hand painted using watercolors. These smaller sized books made Audubon’s work accessible to a wider audience, and helped his art gain the reputation it still holds today.Acquisition
Notes
Collection of DePaul Art MuseumMade/Created
Date made
1840 - 1869Notes
Creation Date: early to mid-20th century