American James Jurist Wilson

John James Audubon, born in 1785, was a naturalist his whole life, preferring the outdoors and the natural world to everything else. He particularly loved birds, and traveled widely in the American countryside, learning everything he could about them. He honed his artistic talents by drawing birds from life. It was Audubon’s ambition to paint and describe every bird that lived in eighteenth century America.

The Inspiration and Techniques of John James Audubon

In his autobiography, Audubon identified the death of a pet parrot in his childhood as inspiration of his lifelong love for birds (see Burroughs, 8). The unfortunate bird, he remembered, was killed by another household pet, a monkey, despite Audubon’s rescue efforts. In addition to this dreadful memory, Audubon was probably influenced by his father, who encouraged his interest in nature.

Audubon moved to Philadelphia in his late teens and continued an already avid interest in birds. A sportsman, he shot many birds and collected both dead birds and bird’s eggs. He mastered the art of taxidermy then preserved his specimens and posed them in lifelike positions. While he often used these specimens as models for his art practice, he also enjoyed drawing live birds, paying close attention to their habits, diets, and preferred habitat.

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