Cat bird
1827-1838
John James Audubon brings the Gray Catbird to life here, perched dynamically on a thorny blackberry branch—their favorite treat. You can spot the signature rusty-red patch under the tail, and the top bird seems to be mid-song, likely letting out a call that sounds suspiciously like a meowing cat. This plate is from his monumental 'The Birds of America', a project so massive it required custom 'double elephant' sized paper to print the birds at life-size. Audubon insisted on showing birds in their natural habitats doing natural things, a revolutionary approach compared to the stiff scientific illustrations of his time.
- Technique
- hand-colored engraving
- Material
- paper
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