The Biographical Dictionary of America/Audubon, John James

AUDUBON, John James, ornithologist, was born near New Orleans, La., May 4, 1780; son of a French naval officer. When the lad was quite young he was taken by his parents to Hayti, where his mother was killed in the negro insurrection of 1791. The father then carried the children to France, where he was married to Anne Moynotte, a native of New Orleans, and he settled his family at Nantes. Here John James attended school and laid the foundation of his artistic skill. He showed marked talent in faithfully transferring to paper the outlines of the birds of the forest and afterward coloring them, depending on his memory for the delicate shadings. He was encouraged by his parents in his propensity to rove the woods to gather specimens and sketch the birds he could not capture, and to develop his artistic talent he was given the advantage of study under the celebrated painter David. His father was desirous that he should enter the navy, but seeing the bent of his inclinations, sent the boy, in 1797, to his farm at Mill Grove, near Philadelphia, where he employed himself in collecting and assorting ornithological specimens. In 1808 he was married to Lucy Bakerwell, the daughter of an Englishman who had settled on an adjoining farm. Before giving his consent to the marriage her prudent father demanded that young Audubon should learn some business that would serve to support a family. To this end Audubon went to New York, and for a time engaged in commercial pursuits, meantime making a visit to his home in France, where he added largely to his collection of birds. Upon his return, he sold the Mill Grove place, with the money bought a stock of goods suitable for the needs of the western settlers, and with his wife, and a Frenchman named Rosier as a partner, he journeyed to Pittsburg, and there took a fiat-boat down the Ohio river to Louisville, Ky., where they established a store; Audubon, however, spending much of his time in excursions in the country. The business did not prosper and they removed to Hendersonville, and soon after to St. Genevieve, Mo., where Audubon sold his interest in the business and returned with his wife and son Victor to Hendersonville, where his son John was born, and where he continued his search for rare birds, sketching with the aid of a telescope those not readily approached. His finances ran low and his wife and children were in actual want. In this dilemma he returned to Louisville, and engaged in making crayon portraits, which gave him a small income. Here he first met Alexander Wilson, the celebrated ornithologist, who was endeavoring to secure subscribers for his proposed book on American birds. He asked Audubon for his subscription and was shown his collections of drawings, the number, variety and truthful coloring of which greatly impressed Wilson. Audubon next removed to Cincinnati as a better field for portrait work, and here he became curator of the museum, and was well paid for preparing, mounting and classifying the collection of birds. He left Cincinnati, Oct. 12, 1820, alone on an extended excursion down the Mississippi river to add to his collection and draw such portraits as might be ordered, earning enough sometimes to send a few dollars to his wife, but oftener being without employment or money. In December, 1821, his wife and children joined him in New Orleans, and he entered into a business venture in partnership with his brother-in-law, in which they were unsuccessful, his wife being forced to accept a position as governess, in order to obtain money for the education of her children. Later she opened a private school at Bayou Sara, La., in which her husband assisted for a time by teaching music and drawing. During all his failures and his vicissitudes his wife's devotion to him and her belief in his genius never flagged. She felt that he would triumph in the end, and her patience and tender sympathy were saintly. From 1822 to 1824 he continued his wanderings, collecting specimens, drawing portraits, and teaching drawing, music, French, dancing and fencing. In 1824 he made a journey along the Atlantic sea coast as far as Philadelphia, where he met Charles Lucien Bonaparte (Prince Canino), who was preparing a volume on American birds, which was soon to be published. Audubon exhibited his wonderful collection of drawings to the prince, who was amazed and delighted at their beauty, and urged him to have them published. With this end in view Audubon, at the suggestion of the prince, visited Europe in 1826, in order to secure assistance for the enterprise. He exhibited his drawings, and they at once obtained for him a warm reception and substantial aid, such men as Barons Cuvier and Humboldt, Sir David Brewster, Sir John Herschel, Lord Jeffrey, Sir Walter Scott and Professor Wilson ("Christopher North"), receiving him with an enthusiasm which was in marked contrast with the coldness of the treatment accorded him in his native land. To obtain subscriptions for a proposed work, priced at one thousand dollars, was no easy task, even in England, but Audubon secured one hundred and seventy names. Between the years 1827 and 1838, the four volumes of his "Birds of America" were published in London; while between the years 1832 and 1839 the five volumes of his "Ornithological Biographies, or an account of the Habits of the Birds of the United States of America, accompanied by Descriptions of the Objects represented in 'The Birds of America,'" were published in Edinburgh. "The Birds of America" consisted of 435 handsome plates, containing some 1,300 figures of birds of life-size and color, surrounded by objects native to their environment. During the twelve years in which these works were in course of publication their author made several trips to America in quest of fresh material. In 1840 he returned to the United States and settled in a beautiful park on the bank of the Hudson river, which afterwards became part of New York city, under the name of Audubon Park. Here he spent the remaining years of his life. Accompanied by his sons, Victor Gifford and John Woodhouse, and the Rev. John Bachman of Charleston, S. C., he continued his excursions in search of specimens. His genius was now universally recognized. The leading scientific societies of Great Britain, France, and America elected him to membership, and he was the recipient of many other honors. Between 1840 and 1844 he was occupied in preparing and publishing a smaller and cheaper edition of his great work. With the assistance of his sons and the Rev. John Bachman, lie late in his life undertook and partly completed a second great work, The Quadrupeds of America, for which they had been collecting material for many years. The work (published in 1846-'54) consists of six volumes, three of which are filled with plates and three with letter-press. During the last four years of his life he was able to accomplish but little work, owing to constantly recurring seasons of mental alienation. His wife published his biography (1868.) His name in "Class H. Scientists," received a place in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York university, in October, 1900. receiving sixty-seven votes. He died in Audubon Park, N.Y.. Jan. 27, 1851.