Audubon's Fifty Best
The Oppenheimer Field Museum Edition
The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
Audubon was at the peak of his life in 1840. He had successfully completed his monumental Birds of America, a bold, highly risky and physically challenging undertaking that in itself would have constituted a complete career for even the most ambitious of men. He was world famous and fast becoming an international figure and wealthy entrepreneur. He had dined with presidents and royalty. Remarkably, this proved to be only the starting point for Audubon¹s legacy. After creating a miniature or octavo edition of the Birds, Audubon embarked upon his final great work: The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.
In the spring of 1843, an expedition up the Missouri River to the western states was undertaken. The objective was to find, capture, draw, paint and publish a comprehensive study of all the mammals in North America. This was accomplished with the aid of his son, John Woodhouse Audubon. Produced from 1845 through 1848 by the distinguished Philadelphia printmaker J.T. Bowen, the black and white lithographs were completely hand colored.
Lithography proved an excellent medium for depicting the tactile realism of the mammals¹ fur. Just three years before Audubon¹s death, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America was completed. Today, The Quadrupeds stands as the definitive work on nineteenth century American mammology.
In 1860, a second edition of The Quadrupeds was printed from the original, but worn stones. Those prints lack the subtlety of the first edition. The Oppenheimer Field Museum Edition is the first to completely capture the quality of the 1840 printing.
A brief biography of John James Audubon can be found here.
Images may be viewed here.
Strictly limited to 300 numbered sets.
Individual prints: $500-$1,200
Complete set of Audubon's Fifty Best Quadrupeds: $13,500
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