Flipping the Birds

The Muskie Archives presents its copy of John James Audubon’s Birds of America for display in the lobby of Ladd Library. The first folio presentation was on November 20th, 2024. Page turnings will continue on a monthly basis through June 2025. Archives staff will lead monthly page turnings and have guest speakers to add context and information about each featured bird.

The edition of Birds of America, a double elephant folio published in 1860, features 150 of the 435 drawings that were first printed beginning in 1827. This double elephant folio, with lithographs by Julius Bien, was the first Audubon printed entirely in America. Although the Civil War brought an early end to production of the volume, nearly bankrupting the family, the resulting work was still a masterpiece of nineteenth century nature art and book publishing.

Join us January 15th at 12:30pm in the lobby of Ladd Library for the next presentation. 

Subsequent dates:

February 12th at 12:30pm

March 12th at 12:30pm

April 9th at 12:30pm

May 14th at 12:30pm

June 7th at 1:00pm

December’s featured bird: Virginian Partridge

The Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) is not a partridge at all, but rather a New World quail. The common name comes from its three note song: “poor bob white.” Though their natural range, which covers much of the eastern United States, extends no further north than Massachusetts, you may occasionally see this bird in Maine. Hunting clubs bring them into the state, and some do get away. These highly social birds live in groups called coveys.  As a defensive maneuver, a covey may form a rosette: a circle of birds on the ground facing outward, ready to burst forth in every direction when a predator approaches.

November’s featured bird: Wild Turkey

Typical of Audubon’s work is this first plate from the book, most likely showing the Eastern wild turkey, a subspecies. “Drawn from nature” was Audubon’s own description for his art, but his process actually involved shooting the bird then bringing it back to his studio, where it would be rigged into position with a complicated set-up of wires. The specimen here was probably taken by Audubon during one of his travels down the Mississippi River, and is painted among what Audubon called “American Cane” (today called Giant Cane, Arundinaria gigantea). Audubon also painted his birds primarily using watercolors, unlike most naturalist painters of his day who worked in oils. See the National Audubon Society for more information on Wild Turkey.