The Audubon Bowen Octavo Pl. 23, Black Rat combines the beauty of John James Audubon’s seminal imagery with the convenient miniature Octavo scale to create a delightful wildlife experience on any wall.
Initially issued by Audubon as a portable and affordable alternative to his monumental Imperial-sized prints, the Octavo edition remains popular for these same reasons today. Whether displayed individually or as a curated collection, Audubon’s Octavos add elegance and sophistication to any space. Own an original Audubon today and enrich your environment with this significant piece of American natural history.
About the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America
Audubon’s Quadrupeds represent the most important body of wildlife art of the 19th century. Published between 1845 and 1848, the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America was a collaborative project between John James Audubon, his two sons, and the renowned naturalist Reverend John Bachman. Containing 150 prints documenting the four-legged land mammals of North America, the prints were lithographed on imperial folio-size paper and hand-colored by the studio of the distinguished Philadelphia printmaker John T. Bowen.
The Royal Octavo edition of Audubon’s Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America captures his iconic images of North American mammals in miniature form. First published between 1849 and 1854, these antique original lithographs were printed and hand-colored by the studio of distinguished Philadelphia printmaker John T. Bowen. The smaller Octavo version of Audubon’s folio was popular for its relative affordability and portable scale.
About John James Audubon
America’s most revered artist-naturalist, John James Audubon (1785—1851), is renowned for his extraordinary undertaking to visually record the birds and mammals of North America. His publications The Birds of America & The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America are icons of 19th-century art and capture the nascent stages of American natural history.
Born in 1785 in Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (Haiti) to a Creole mother and French father, Audubon spent the early years of his life in France but moved to America at age 18. It was during this time that his appreciation for birds flourished and he developed a keen artistic acumen for rendering wildlife. It was not until 1819 when Audubon was married and the father of two sons, that he embraced the life of artist-naturalist and embarked on his venture through the backwoods of America with the intent of illustrating the avian life he encountered there.
Audubon’s muti-decade venture resulted in the publication of his monumental folio The Birds of America which documented over 700 bird species on 435 plates. In a similar manner and with the help of his two sons and his friend Reverend John Bachman, Audubon later produced The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, which contained 150 plates depicting the mammals of North America. Audubon’s folios were seismic in the fields of ornithology and mammalogy and set a new precedent for natural history illustration.
For more information about the Audubon Bowen Octavo Pl. 23, Black Rat, email us at [email protected] or check out our articles Discovering Audubon’s Animals in The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America and Visualizing the Human Impact on the Natural World in Audubon’s Quadrupeds.
More Information About Audubon Prints & Bird ArtView All Articles
Natural History Art Treasures under $10,000
Collecting original art doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, there are a surprising number of original paintings and antique prints that can be acquired [...]
Read More
Collecting Guide: Oppenheimer Editions Audubon Prints
Since its inception in 1996, our publishing company Oppenheimer Editions has partnered with major institutions to make their holdings available as modern facsimile prints. Several [...]
Read More
Exploring Early Methods of Specimen Collection in Natural History Art
Have you ever wondered where the reference material for antique wildlife prints and paintings came from? In an era before photography, how did the artist [...]
Read More
Casualties of Fashion: The Contentious History of Plume Plundering
Though the idea of ornamenting oneself with a bird carcass may be a bit deterring today, historically, birds and their feathers have played a major [...]
Read More
What is an Engraving? A Guide to Intaglio Printmaking Techniques
This article will examine the intaglio printmaking processes of engraving, etching, and their subsidiaries in relation to image production.
Read More
Investigating Audubon’s 50 Best Watercolors
The Oppenheimer Editions Fine Art Prints of Audubon's Watercolors for The Birds of America
Read More
Interspecific Encounters in Audubon’s Birds of America
Picturing Combat between Different Species in Audubon's Prints
Read More
Audubon’s Miniature Folio – The Octavo Edition of Birds of America
A survey of the technical translation of Audubon’s work from the monumental to the miniature.
Read More
