John James Audubon is one of the great painters of American Neo-classicism. He lived from 1785-1851, and during the latter part of his life was the United State's preeminent wildlife artist. Many of the pieces for which he is most famous today come from his works Birds of America, which contained 435 life-size prints--all exquisitely detailed and rendered with a scientist's accuracy and an artist's eye.

Audubon was in fact Haitian born, and studied in Europe with Jacques Louis David before ever coming to the United States. He settled here, however, and was delighted with the range of new avian life to be observed in America. His ornithological passion soon became the basis of his artistic career, though his wildlife and flora are also beloved by many naturalists and art l
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