Who was John James Audubon?
Q: Who was John James Audubon?
A: John James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter, and painter. He painted, described, and put in catalogues the birds of North America. His Birds of America is a collection of 435 life-size prints. It is still a standard against which 20th and 21st century bird artists are measured.
Q: Where was he born?
A: Audubon was born in Saint Domingue (now Haiti). He was the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and plantation owner and his French mistress. He was raised by his stepmother in Nantes, France.
Q: What were some of his early interests?
A: Early interests included birds, nature, drawing, and music.
Q: How did he come to live in America?
A: In 1803 at the age of 18 he was sent to America to escape conscription into Napoleon’s army. He lived on the family-estate at Mill Grove near Philadelphia where he hunted studied and drew birds.
Q: What project made him famous?
A: His project "The American Woodsman" became an overnight success making him famous worldwide for his work with birds of North America.
Q: Who helped him write Ornithological Biographies? A: The Scottish ornithologist William MacGillivray collaborated with Audubon on the Ornithological Biographies – life histories of each of the species in the work.
Q: What other works did he complete before passing away? A: Before passing away at 65 years old Audubon completed one more trip to the West for his work on mammals called Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America which was largely completed by his sons with text written by his long-time friend John Bachman who's daughters married Audubon's sons.
