AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851), Wild Turkey, (Plate 1), 1827–1838

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (AMERICAN, 1785–1851)

Wild Turkey, Plate 1

From the Birds of America

Engraved by Robert Havell (1793–1878)

Published: London, 1827–1838

Aquatint engraving with original hand coloring

Paper size: 39 1/4 x 26 1/4 in.

Frame size: 49 5/8 x 37 in.

Provenance: The Magnificent Sachsen-Meiningen Set of Audubon

This handsome print of a male Wild Turkey shows the majestic bird standing next to Giant Cane. It is believed that Audubon painted this bird circa 1825 while staying at the plantation of Mrs. Robert Percy near St. Francisville, Louisiana. “The great size and beauty of the Wild Turkey, its value as a delicate and highly prized article of food, andthe circumstance of its being the origin of the domestic race now generally dispersed over both continents, render it one of the most interesting of the birds indigenous to the United States of America.”JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (AMERICAN, 1785-1851)