Herring Gull
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paperr
Dimensions
plate: 97.2 x 66 cm (38 1/4 x 26 in.) sheet: 101.6 x 68.3 cm (40 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
1945.8.291
Art Historical Context
Behold the majestic *Herring Gull* (1836), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquatint by Robert Havell after John James Audubon, now housed in the National Gallery of Art. This print is a gem from Audubon's epic *The Birds of America* (1827–1838), the pioneering natural history folio that revolutionized ornithological art. Audubon, a French-American artist and naturalist, sketched birds from life in dramatic, life-sized poses amid their natural habitats, capturing the wild spirit of American wildlife with unprecedented realism. Havell's masterful technique shines here: aquatint provides s...
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...