Long-tailed or Dusky Grous

Art Historical Context

Behold the striking *Long-tailed or Duskyse*, a hand-colored engraving and aquat on Whatman wove paper 1837, crafted by master engraver Robert Havell John James Audubon's original watercolor. This print hails from Audubon's monumental *The Birds of America*, a lavish double-elephant folio serieseach page over 26 inches tall) that revolutionized ornithological illustration. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, sought to depict every known North American bird in life-size glory, often posing them dramatically amid their habitats to capture their vitality. Havell's virtuoso technique—combining fine-line engraving for precise feathers and aquatint for subtle tonal gradients—elevates the image's realism, while expert hand-coloring adds luminous depth. Printed on high-quality Whatman paper, these editions were produced in London to fund Audubon's ambitious project, making them collector's treasures of 19th-century natural history art. Now in the National Gallery of Art's collection (gift of Mrs. Walter B. James, Department CG-W), this print not only documents the elusive Dusky Grouse but also embodies the era's fusion of scientific curiosity and artistic splendor, inspiring generations to marvel at America's wild avian wonders.

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...