John James Audubon

John James Audubon, honored for his exemplary drawings and research in the field of ornithology (bird studies), was born in Les Cayes, Haiti, on April 26, 1785. He was named Jean Rabin by his parents, the French Lieutenant Jean Audubon and his mistress, a chambermaid named Jeanne Rabin. After his mother's death, shortly following his birth, baby Jean was taken care of by his father's housekeeper, a mulatto woman named Sanitte who also bore three children to Jean Audubon. Following the breakout of the slave rebellion in Saint-Domingue, Lieutenant Audubon sold his sugar plantation and departed the Caribbean for France, taking his son Jean and one of Sanitte's children, a little girl. He remarried in France, and his wife adopted her stepchildren 1794, at which time young Jean Rabin was renamed Jean-Jacques Fougere Audubon. As a child Jean-Jacques, encouraged by his father, loved to roam around outside, and particularly enjoyed observing birds. Also encouraged by his father, Jean-Jacques attended military school at twelve, intending to pursue a naval career like Lieutenant Audubon. Brief experience at sea, and failure on his officer's examination, showed Jean-Jacques that he did not care for the navy. So, back at home, he continued his true interest in field and bird observation.

In 1803, Jean-Jacques Audubon immigrated to the United States. His father had arranged a business venture for him there, so that his son would not be called to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. Once in America, 18-year-old Audubon took the English version of his first name, John James, by which we know him today. He took up residence at Mill Grove, his family's sizeable homestead near Philadelphia. Here Audubon had further opportunity to cultivate his knowledge of birds, and was thrilled to do so in the unfamiliar terrain of Pennsylvania. Audubon was active and cheerful, known to be an excellent violinist and dancer, and showed himself furthermore to be very accomplished at his skill in drawing birds. It was now his object to portray American birds with as much realism as he could with his paints, also noting the behavior of the birds.

It was through his outdoor excursions that he met his wife, Lucy Bakewell, who shared in many of the same interests as Audubon. She lived at a neighboring estate, and often joined Audubon in his walks through the country. While Audubon was an up-an-coming natural scientist and taxidermist, Lucy's father was concerned about him having a steady profession. In order to marry Lucy, Audubon moved to New York after selling a portion of Mill Grove. He took up the import-export trade with his previous business partner, and they soon had a successful general store in Kentucky. He and Lucy married in 1808, and moved out to Kentucky into a log cabin. This frontier was a feast for Audubon, not only with its flora and fauna, but also in his fascination with the frontiersman and Native Americans. He learned to hunt and fish from the Native Americans, and took time to sketch their habits. It was evident that business was not Audubon's calling, and he ended his partnership to pursue ornithology. He became an American citizen, raised two sons with Lucy (they had two daughters as well, but they died as children), and kept trying to support his family. Eventually he decided to create a published guide to all North American birds, and in the autumn of 1820 he began his work in the South. While Audubon was away, Lucy took up teaching classes out of their home in order to supplement their family's income.

Audubon's project became so immense, that it was soon time to seek publication for his work, which he called Birds of America. He went to Europe, where his work was wildly popular among the English and Scots. Birds of America was published with 435 life-size prints, all colored by hand, of over 700 species of American birds, and the gorgeous pictures were arranged to convey the stunning visual effect of these birds. It was a great success. Audubon continued stuyding and adding to later edition of Birds of America, created a sequel called Ornithological Biography, and came to know many European scientists. He also did a work on North American mammals, finished and published by his sons after his death.

John James Audubon died at home (an estate on Hudson Bay) on January 27, 1851, leaving behind him a brilliant legacy of ornithology, research, and drawing techniques. His imprint has been left unmistakeably in the world of natural science.