White-crowned Sparrow
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 49.9 x 31.4 cm (19 5/8 x 12 3/8 in.) sheet: 100.3 x 68 cm (39 1/2 x 26 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.114
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Step into the vivid world of 19th-century American ornithology with *White-crowned Sparrow* (1831), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquatint by Robert Havell after John James Audubon. This print is part of Audubon's monumental *The Birds of America*, one of the most ambitious natural history publications ever produced. Published in a massive "double-elephant folio" format—measuring nearly 40 by 27 inches on premium Whatman wove paper—the series featured life-sized depictions of over 400 bird species in dynamic, naturalistic poses, revolutionizing scientific illustration by blending art a...
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...