Great auk
1827-1838
John James Audubon captured these striking black-and-white seabirds in their natural, rugged habitat, with one swimming in choppy waters and the other perched on a rocky cliff. Sadly, this is a portrait of a ghost: the Great Auk was hunted to extinction shortly after Audubon created this masterpiece for his legendary 'Birds of America' folio. Because the birds were already vanishingly rare, Audubon likely painted them from preserved museum specimens rather than live models. Today, this hauntingly beautiful print serves as a vital scientific record of a species we lost forever.
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