Name/Title
Pileated Woodpecker, Audubon PrintContext
John James Audubon
Jean-Jacques Audubon was born in the French colony of Saint-Dominque (Haiti) in 1785. In 1803 he emigrated to the United States to avoid conscription in the Napoleonic wars. Once in this country, he became John James.
Audubon became one of America's premier ornithologists, naturalists, and artists. His most important work was a color-plate book titled The Birds of America, a twelve-year project produced between 1827 and 1839. This work is still considered one of the best ornithological works ever created.
Audubon was noted for the realistic way he represented birds in the paintings reproduced in this book. He is also credited with discovering twenty-five new bird species during his studies. John James Audubon died in New York in 1851.
In 1905 a newly incorporated environmental organization, The National Audubon Society, was named in John James Audubon's honor. That Society thrives today, with nearly 500 local chapters. In 1947, the Society began awarding the Audubon Medal to recognize important achievements in conservation and environmental protection. The Medal, one of conservation's most prestigious honors, is given annually. Louis Bromfield was the Audubon Medal recipient in 1952.
- Research and text by Thomas Bachelder of the Malabar Farm FoundationLocation
Room
Honeymoon RoomBuilding
The Big HouseOhio State Park
Malabar Farm State Park
