Wood Pewee
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
1945.8.115
Art Historical Context
**Wood Pewee**, a captivating print from 1831, exemplifies the groundbreaking collaboration between naturalist-artist John James Audubon master engraver Robert Havell. Created as part of Audubon's monumental *The Birds of America*—one of the most ambitious publishing projects of the 19th century—this image captures the Eastern Wood Pewee, a small flycatcher, in a lifelike pose amid its woodland habitat. Audubon's innovative approach revolutionized ornithological illustration by depicting birds at actual size in dynamic, naturalistic settings, blending scientific precision with artistic drama 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...