This latest biography of John James Audubon (1785–1851) is written by an art historian and focuses on that aspect of his life and accomplishment through to the completion of The Birds of America (1827–1838). Roberta Olson is the curator of drawings emerita at the New-York Historical Society, which holds 463 of Audubon’s original paintings that were the models for Robert Havell’s aquatints (these originals were acquired from Mrs. Audubon in 1863). The Historical Society also owns many Audubon drawings and paintings that were not used for publication, and Olson has studied the other major Audubon collections at Harvard and the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de La Rochelle. With several publications and Audubon exhibitions to her credit, Olson is thus the most appropriate person to bring an art historian’s perspective to his work.
Audubon as Artist recounts his early life in detail, beginning with his family history and the now well-documented story...