This is one of the most famous images from the most famous American ornithological work by the iconographic John James Audubon. The ‘Birds of America’ was first printed by Havell in London 1827-38. An American edition was printed at the instigation of Audubon’s son, John Woodhouse Audubon, who aimed at producing a more affordable version by using the chromolithographic process. The American Civil War interrupted the process and the work was never completed.

In 1971-72 the first complete edition since that of Havell was printed in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The edition was overseen by an international panel of noted ornithologists and Audubon experts. The full colour prints were exact facsimiles of all 435 plates and are identical in size. All birds are depicted life size which in itself is remarkable. All plates are printed on 100% cotton watermarked paper, with plates marks. The watermark is ‘G. Schut and Zonen Audubon’. They set out to produce the finest possible quality work. The Teyler Museum in Haarlem, provided the example from which these plates were produced. The printing was undertaken by NV Fotolitho Inrichting Drommel, with up to eight different colours, the best firm of colour photo-lithography in the Netherlands, Of the subsequent editions none bear a plate mark and only one other has been of the complete set, that being the Abbeville Press Edition of 1985. Ayer pp. 24-5; Fries Appendix B, pp. 355-9; Nissen 50; Reese ‘Stamped with a National Character’ 40.