Artist: (after) John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851)
Title: "Belted Kingfisher" (Plate 255, no 5-3)
Portfolio: The Birds of America (Bien Edition)
Year: 1860
Medium: Original Chromolithograph on double-elephant folio, wove paper
Limited edition: approx. 75-100
Printer: Julius Bien, New York, NY
Publisher: John Woodhouse Audubon and Roe Lockwood & Son, both in New York, NY
Framing: Framed in a burlwood moulding with 100% cotton rag matting
Framed size: 43.19" x 33.38"
Sheet size: approx. 39" x 26.5"
Image size: 25.88" x 19.13"
Reference: Ayer/Zimmer page 24-25; Ellis/Mengel No. 102; Fries App. B, page 355-359; Nissen No. IVB 50; Reese No. 40
Condition: Some minor cosmetic wear to frame. In excellent condition with strong colors
Rare
A fantastic example of this desirable work with great provenance
Notes:
Provenance: private collection - notable Audubon expert and historian Ron Flynn, Holland, MI. Comes from Audubon's famous one volume "The Birds of America", (Bien Edition) (1858-1860), which consists of 150 chromolithographs. Printed in about 6 colors from about 6 stones.
Based on a composition composed of studies drawn in 1812 and 1822. The background has been identified as Little Bayou Sarah, Louisiana. "The Belted Kingfisher! - Now, were I infected with the desire of giving new names to well known objects, you may be assured that ... I should call it ... the 'United States Kingfisher' ... it is the only bird of its genus found upon the inland streams of the Union. Another reason of equal force (for changing its name) might be adduced, which is that ... the term Belted applies only to the female ... the male being destitute of the belt or band by which she is distinguished."
The Belted Kingfisher is widespread across most of North America but wanders widely, sometimes found in Britain, Ireland, Hawaii, Galapagos Islands, Greenland, Iceland, and the Netherlands. It is often first noticed by its rattling call as it flies along rivers or lakes. Perches on a high snag or hovers while rapidly beating wings before plunging headfirst into the water to grab fish or crayfish.
"In 1858 John James Audubon’s youngest son, John Woodhouse Audubon, undertook a new and ambitious business venture. The project was to be the first American full sized reissue of his father’s original (1826-38) 'Birds of America'. The publication was to cost about half the price of the original 'Birds of America', and was also sold by subscription. The publication was to be issued in 44 separate parts. Each part would consist of seven sheets or pages, containing 10 images. Four of the sheets in each part contained one large or medium sized image, and three sheets in each part contained two smaller images.
With the advances in color printing, at the time, it was decided that the plates would be produced using the very latest techniques in chromolithography. The firm of Roe Lockwood and Son of New York was hired as publisher. Julius Bien of New York, a pioneer in chromolithography, was contracted as the lithographer. The name Bien Edition, of course, is a credit to Julius Bien. J.W. Audubon’s mother, Lucy Bakewell Audubon, co-signed some of the business agreements. J.W.’s older brother, Victor Gifford Audubon, was unable to offer much assistance to the project, as he was an invalid at the time and died in 1860. The undertaking had problems from the beginning. The Audubons were still trying to collect monies owed them from the octavo editions, payment receipts from new subscribers to the Bien Edition were slow in coming, and unscrupulous dealings of certain business partners resulted in the tenuous financial condition of the project. Finally, the Audubons were cutoff from their Southern subscribers at the onset of the Civil War, and this ended production of the Bien Edition. This huge financial catastrophe brought near financial ruin to the Audubon family, and certainly contributed to the death of J.W. Audubon in 1862. In 1863, Lucy Audubon had to sell family assets, including JJA’s original paintings for Birds of America, to keep the family solvent.
When production was stopped on the Bien Edition, only 15 parts had been issued. The 15 parts produced 105 sheets or pages, with a total of 150 images (under the format described above). The Bien Edition consists of only one bound volume. It is not known exactly how many sets of the original 15 parts were printed. The consensus seems to be that between 75-100 sets were printed, and either bound into single volumes or left unbound. Early researchers put the number of surviving bound volumes at 15-23. However, in 1976 Waldemar Fries had located and catalogued 49 original bound volumes of the Bien Edition. While individual plates and original bound volumes of the Bien Edition are rarer, in terms of numbers, than the Havell Edition of 'Birds of America', they do not bring near the prices that the Havells do." - Ron Flynn
Biography:
John James Audubon (April 26, 1785, Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue (later Haiti) – January 27, 1851 (aged 65) Manhattan, New York, U.S.), born Jean-Jacques Audubon, was an American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled 'The Birds of America' (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species.
Julius Bien (27 September 1826, Naumburg – 21 December 1909, Manhattan, New York) was an American lithographer originally from Germany, as well as president of B’nai B’rith for more than three decades. He produced a lithographed edition of John James Audubon's The Birds of America.
