Cenerino di Traill
1827-1838
Perched atop a jagged, broken branch, this little Traill's Flycatcher belts out a song with its beak wide open, surrounded by lush, star-shaped leaves. John James Audubon revolutionized natural history illustration by ditching stiff, scientific profiles for dynamic, life-like action shots. He actually used wires to pose freshly killed birds into these dramatic, natural positions before painting them! This specific plate comes from his legendary 'Birds of America' project, a massive undertaking where he aimed to paint every single bird species in North America at life-size.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving
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