Audubon, John James (1785-1851)

Description:

Audubon, John James (1785-1851),The Birds of America from Original Drawings by John James Audubon, New York, 1860, Roe Lockwood & Son publishers, second folio edition, atlas volume only, later three quarter red morocco and burgundy cloth boards, having 150 chromolithographed plates on 105 sheets, (lower marginal water staining, first two prints linen backed, repaired marginal tears, smudging and brittle edges). Note: John Woodhouse Audubon's reissue of his father's historic work utilized the relatively new technique of chromolithography. His family chose the firm of Julius Bien because of his reputation as the most accomplished printer in this new medium, his task was to duplicate the original elephant folio edition. However, a new system was used to consolidate the smaller birds (two at a time) on one sheet of paper, thus reducing the overall size of the volumes. This became a moot point, however, when the American Civil War curtailed production and only 150 of the original plates were reprinted. Although it is unknown how many completed folios were printed, the number is generally thought to be around 100.
Estimate $150,000-250,000

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