Beschreibung:

After John James Audubon "Bos Americanus-American
engraving with etching, hand coloring, and aquatint on wove paper by Robert Havell 1836. Marked upper left, "No. 63" and upper right, "PLATE: CCCXI". Image: 35.375"H x 23.375"W; Sheet: 37.5"H x 25.5"W; Frame: 50.125"H x 37.375"W. PROVENANCE: From the Collection of Sam Wyly, Dallas, Texas. As one of the largest birds living in North America, the American White Pelican commands the full "Double Elephant Folio" page of Audubon's Havell first edition of "The Birds of America". Standing at attention in a bold profile at approximately life-size, the striking lines and intricate detail of his beak, plumage and webbed feet are a stark contrast to the darkened clouds hanging over his watery habitat. The vertical composition struggles to confine this wondrous specimen with a 9-foot wingspan and one can easily grasp why this plate is one of the most coveted of the master American naturalist and painter's illustrations. After an initial unsuccessful fundraising stint, Audubon left the United States for the United Kingdom in 1826, looking for financial support in the form of willing subscribers. Additionally, the avian artist was seeking the technical means of engravers and colorists to reproduce his original drawings while overseas. After starting the new project in Edinburgh, William H. Lizars had to abandon it after only ten plates were completed as members of his studio went on strike. Therefore in 1827, Audubon entrusted the father-son studio of Robert Havell Sr. & Jr., with the latter seeing it through to its completion in 1838. While copperplate etching was the primary printing technique utilized in these groundbreaking ornithological plates, engraving and aquatint were also used with all aspects of color being added later by hand using watercolor. These large prints were issued in groups of five at a time and were unbound when subscribers received them. Only later would Audubon issue the supplementary text under separate cover, published in collaboration with Scottish naturalist William MacGillivray. John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851).