AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851), Rathbone Warbler, (Plate 65), 1827–1838

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (AMERICAN, 1785–1851)

Rathbone Warbler, Plate 65

From the Birds of America

Aquatint engraving with original hand color

London: Robert Havell, 1827–1838

Paper size: 38 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.

Frame size: 50 x 37 in.

Provenance: John Vickers Painter’s Collection, Cleveland, Ohio.

“I met with the species now under consideration only once, when I procured both the male and the female represented in the plate. They were actively engaged in searching for food amongst the blossoms and leaves of the bignonia, on which I have placed them. All my endeavours to discover their nest, or to procure other individuals, having proved abortive I am unable to say any thing of their habits and history; but should I be more fortunate at some future period, I shall not fail to record the result of my observations respecting this delicate little Warbler. The bignonia, on which they are represented, grows abundantly in the low alluvial grounds of the States of Mississippi and Louisiana, sparingly in Tennessee, and about the mouth of the Ohio. It twines round the trunks of various trees, and produces beautiful flowers, in which Humming-birds are frequently seen to search for the minute insects which form their food. They are destitute of smell, but are seen both during spring and autumn.” - John James Audubon