Trumpeter Swan
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
1945.8.376
Art Historical Context
Behold the majestic *Trumpeter Swan* (1837), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquint by Robert Havell faithfully reproducing John James Audubon's watercolor. This print hails from Audubon's groundbreaking *The Birds of America* (1827–1838), a monumental double-elephant folio series that captured over 400 life-sized North American bird species in their natural habitats. Audubon, a pioneering naturalist and artist, posed birds dynamically—often in dramatic flight or perched—to convey their vitality, revolutionizing ornithological illustration by blending scientific precision with artistic f...
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...