Gabbiano sandwich
1827-1838
John James Audubon hated boring scientific illustrations, so he wired dead birds into dynamic poses to make them look alive. Here, a sleek Sandwich Tern with a sharp yellow-tipped beak stands proudly on a rock next to a colorful crustacean, likely its next meal. This plate comes from his massive 'Birds of America' project, where he aimed to paint every bird in North America at actual size. The text at the bottom calls it a 'Florida Grey Fish,' a delightful old-fashioned name that shows just how much taxonomy has evolved since the 1830s.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
- Material
- Paper