American Flamingo
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Dimensions
image: 87.63 × 58.58 cm (34 1/2 × 23 1/16 in.) plate: 97 x 65 cm (38 3/16 x 25 9/16 in.) sheet: 101.3 x 68.3 cm (39 7/8 x 26 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.431
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking *American Flamingo*, a masterpiece from John James Audub epic *The Birds of America (1827–1838), rendered by master engraver Robert Havell. after Audubon's meticulous watercolor. Published in 1838 as part of the lavish double-elephant folio edition, this print captures the bird's elegant pink plumage and poised stance in life-size detail—measuring nearly 88 × 59 cm—immersing viewers in the wilds of early 19th-century America. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, revolutionized ornithological illustration by depicting birds in dynamic, naturalistic poses amid their h...
About the Artist
Robert Havell after John James Audubon
Robert Havell Jr., born on November 25, 1793, in Reading, Berkshire, England, was the son of renowned engraver and publisher Robert Havell Sr. and Lydia Miller Phillips. Growing up in a family of artists that included notable engravers and etchers, he trained under his father, mastering aquatint techniques early on. Though briefly estranged from the family business, Havell reconciled with his fath...