John James Audubon (Plate 181 American Goldfinch) The Birds of America. Philadelphia 1856. Framed $625.00

Plate 181 "American Goldfinch 1. Male 2. Female Common Thistle"

John James Audubon is renown for his elephant folio work titled Birds of America, depicting every North American bird known at the beginning of the 19th century. It was a huge financial and time -consuming enterprise, based upon Audubon's watercolors, which were engraved and hand colored by Robert Havell. The book and its engravings are widely regarded as the finest bird portraits ever produced. The great size and complicated printing methods used to create the elephant folio prints were costly even at the time of publication and a very limited number were produced.

In response to popular demand, Audubon issued a smaller format edition of the work, known as the royal octavo edition (a reference to the paper size) and more readily affordable to a wider audience. At the time of publication a complete set (eight volumes) of the royal octavo edition could be purchased for $100. Today a full set is priced from $35,000-$125,000 based on edition, condition and venue. We are pleased to offer these individual original second edition antique hand colored Audubon octavo prints for considerably less!

Lithograph, full original hand color.
11 x 7 inches sheet. Archivally framed 18 x 14 inches.
Excellent condition.