American Green-Winged Teal
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paperr
Dimensions
plate: 31.1 x 49.2 cm (12 1/4 x 19 3/8 in.) sheet: 66.8 x 99.9 cm (26 5/16 x 39 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.228
Art Historical Context
Behold the vibrant *American Green-Winged Te* (1834), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquint by Robert Havell faithfully reproducing John James Audubon's watercolor. This print hails from Audubon's monumental *The Birds of America*, one of the most ambitious natural history projects of the 19th century. Published between 1827 and 1838 in the lavish "double-elephant" format, the series captured over 400 North American bird species in life-sized, dynamic poses amid their natural habitats, revolutionizing wildlife illustration with its scientific precision and artistic drama. Havell's mast...
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...