Prairie Titlark
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
1945.8.80
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Prairie Titlark* (1830), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquatint by Robert Havell, faithfully reproducing John James Audubon's original watercolor from his epic *Birds of America* series. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, sought to document every known North American bird species in life-size detail, revolutionizing ornithological illustration during the early 19th century. This plate captures the titlark—a small, hardy songbird of the open prairies—in a dynamic pose amid its natural habitat, blending scientific precision with artistic flair characteristic of the ...
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...