Audubon painted the Snowy Heron, or White Egret in full nuptial plumage. Overlooking a South Carolina rice plantation painted by Audubon's assistant, George Lehman, this magnificent bird is shown in a typical feeding location during the 1831 mating season. Audubon wrote, "When I was at Charleston in March of 1831, few had arrived from the Floridas by the 18th of that month, but on the 25th thousands were seen in the marshes and rice fields, all in full plumage ... The Snowy Heron, while in the Carolinas in the month of April, resorts to the borders of the salt-water marshes and feeds principally on shrimps."

Framing your Audubons

About John James Audubon

The 435 paintings in Audubon's Birds of America constitute the most important achievement of ornithological art.

Audubon combined artistic and scientific talent to produce images that are as beautiful as they are important for their recording of carefully observed ornithological detail. His unprecedented use of richly rendered natural environmental detail created striking contexts for his gracefully composed birds — all of which are presented in actual life size. Each image has the feel of a snapshot that captures a living moment.

Audubon's passion for ornithological discovery and observation led him to explore large swaths of 1820s and 1830s America, especially throughout the South and the Ohio River valley. In 1826 he brought his enormous folio of large-scale paintings to London where, from 1827 — 1838, they were engraved by Robert Havell & Son and hand-colored in an edition of approximately 200. King George IV of England, King Charles I of France, Daniel Webster and many important museums and institutions of higher learning were among the subscribers to this original publication.

Each Perfect Recreation™ is made from an exceptionally well-preserved Havell aquatint with rich, original hand color.

If you'd like to know a lot more about Audubon, there are two wonderful biographies available at Amazon.com:
Click here to buy John James Audubon: The Making of an American
Click here to buy Under a Wild Sky: Making of The Birds of America