John James Audubon Birthday

I doubt there are many birding enthusiasts who could escape a twinge of nostalgia recognizing or commemorating April 26th as the birthday of John James Audubon.

Audubon was an American naturalist, wilderness explorer and artist. His business skills never fully developed, much to the dismay of his father and his family. However he managed to eke out a living with sales of his drawings and paintings. During one part of his life he earned a substantial income doing oil portraits of influential people. His wife, Lucy Bakewell was trained as a teacher and she served as the primary reliable breadwinner for their small family as they moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky and Louisiana and while he went exploring and traveling.

John James Audubon was born in what we know today as Haiti. He became an American citizen after his childhood and youth in France. His father was a French merchant and his mother was Jeanne Rabin, the mistress of his father while he was in Haiti. His life story is packed with surprises and real life adventures. I invite you to dive into a bit of American history and put this artist’s life into perspective with the times in which he lived. Born in 1785 and died in 1851, he lived during exciting and precarious times.

You might enjoy reading this short and engaging biography available at Amazon.

The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon (Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 (Awards))

Just click on the title or description  above and you can make a contribution to this site!

Another way to support this site is to visit the new Amazon store I put together:

In Honor of John James Audubon. Thank you.