Hairy Woodpecker
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.416
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Hairy Woodpecker* (1838), a stunning print from John James Audubon's legendary *The Birds of America*, meticulously engraved and hand-colored by Robert Havell. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, captured this industrious bird—Dryobates villosus—in life-size detail, perched dynamically amid its woodland habitat. Published as part of the double-elephant folio edition (1827–1838), this work revolutionized natural history illustration by depicting birds in realistic, animated poses rather than stiff taxidermy studies, blending scientific accuracy with artistic flair during th...
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...