Washington Sea Eagle
ca. 1836-1839
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Dr. S. Dillon Ripley II and Mary Livingston Ripley
Accession Number
1994.121
Tags
About this artwork
In 1814 artist and ornithologist John James Audubon first saw the elusive gigantic eagle he called "The Bird of Washington" flying along the bluffs of the upper Mississippi river, near the Great Lakes. Audubon documented four more sightings of this bird before finally acquiring a specimen. Larger than any known species of eagle found anywhere in the world, the eagle Audubon shot measured almost four feet tall, with a wingspan over ten feet wide. Due to its impressive size, Audubon immediately na...
Art Historical Context
John James Audubon, the renowned 19th-century ornithologist and artist, immortalized the majestic "Washington Sea Eagle" this captivating painting from around 1836-1839. First spotted in 1814 along the upper Mississippi River bl near the Great Lakes, this elusive bird—dubbed the "Bird of Washington" Audubon—sparked years of pursuit. After four sightings, he finally obtained a specimen measuring nearly four feet tall with a wingspan exceeding ten feet, larger than any known eagle worldwide. Audubon promptly named it *Falco washingtonii*, proclaiming it a new North American species in honor of t...
About the Artist
John James Audubon · 1785–1851
American Naturalist, painter, and draughtsman of French–Creole descent. Brought up in a French village near Nantes, moved to and worked in the the United States.