Spotted Grous
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
1945.8.176
Art Historical Context
Behold the majestic *Spotted Grous* (1833), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquatint by Robert Havell faithfully reproducing John James Audubon's original. This print is a gem from Audubon's groundbreaking *The Birds of America* (1827–1838), the most ambitious ornithological project of its time. Audubon, a self-taught Franco-American naturalist, sought to document every known North American bird species in life-size detail, capturing them in dynamic, naturalistic poses amid their habitats—a radical departure from stiff, static illustrations of the era. Havell's masterful technique eleva...
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...