1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: I'm fairy Daddy and I'm doubling in chark Reboarding, and 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: we're picking off where we left off on illustrator and 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: naturalist John James Audubon. And in the last episode we 6 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: covered Audubon's illegitimate birth to a French ship's captain and 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: his mistress in what is now Haiti right before the 8 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: Haitian Revolution, and after making it through the French Revolution 9 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: as well, John James was finally moved by his father 10 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 1: to Pennsylvania in order to avoid conscription in Napoleon's army. 11 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: And it's at that point that Audubon really became kind 12 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: of an early American renaissance man, someone who is equally 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: at home dancing, fencing and dressing and fine clothes, lying 14 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: in brush for hours, watching and sketching birds, or studying 15 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: up on ornithology in the natural world. But it wasn't 16 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: until eighteen nineteen, after he had lost his business in 17 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: the Panic, that Audubon began focusing in earnest on a 18 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: monumental project, and that was illustrating all of the birds 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: in all of America will include portions of an interview 20 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: as we mentioned before with Michael Ennan in this episode. 21 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: He's the curator of the Rare Books division at the 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: New York Public Library, who, in addition to being a 23 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: big Audubon buff himself, shared lots of interesting information with 24 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: us about the book. So by eighteen twenty four where 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: we left off, after years of sketching birds and traveling 26 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: around the country looking for new species, John James Audubon 27 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: was finally ready to find a publisher, and so his 28 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: wife and two sons had set up their home base 29 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: near New Orleans, where the boys could be educated and 30 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: Lucy could teach deportment and piano to the children of 31 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: wealthy planters there. But Audubon decided that Philadelphia, which was 32 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: still at that time the intellectual and cultural capital of 33 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: the United States, would be the best place for him 34 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: to drum up some interest in this project of his. 35 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: It's important to remember that as beautiful as Audubon's drawing 36 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: still are today, they must have seemed completely novel and 37 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: breathtaking at the time, maybe even shocking to some people. 38 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: When Audubon presented his portfolio to Charles Lucienne, Bonaparte, who 39 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences and 40 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: Napoleon's nephew. Bonaparte was just blown away by them, and 41 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 1: he started parading Audubon around town to meet artists and scientists. 42 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: And Audubon had this kind of rugged, brash way about him. 43 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: He'd really cultivated that frontiersman image that we talked about 44 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: in the first part of this podcast. So he probably 45 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: surprised a lot of people that he met. But his 46 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: big mistake was starting to criticize American ornithology and specifically 47 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: the late Alexander Wilson and his works, who Michael Nman 48 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: mentioned Wilson a little bit in the last podcast. Yeah, 49 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: and according to William Fowder in American History, Wilson's earlier 50 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,960 Speaker 1: incomplete attempt to illustrate the birds of American you know, 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: this was something he had tried before Audubon was trying. 52 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: His attempt at doing that was something that the folks 53 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia were really very proud of, and they considered 54 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: Wilson to be the father of American ornithology, and they 55 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: considered his book as one of America's first great scientific works, 56 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: plus just a really nice book. So here comes Backwoods, 57 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: Audubon out of nowhere, criticizing Wilson, talking about mistakes and 58 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: Wilson's drawings, and even accusing him of kind of a 59 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: type of bird hunting plagiarism. He said that when they 60 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: met back in Kentucky, he helped Wilson bag a type 61 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: of warbler that he was searching for and didn't get 62 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: any credit for that. So instead of finding a publisher 63 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia with all of this talk, Audubon found himself 64 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: shut out instead, shut out of society. Michael Inman actually 65 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: described it to us as him being quote roundly snubbed, 66 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: But it became clear to him that Europe was just 67 00:03:58,080 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: going to be the better place to go. There would 68 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: if you were a Wilfon fans there, so he was 69 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: less likely to offend people. There would be more people 70 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: with deep book buying pockets, and most importantly, there wouldn't 71 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: be real life North American birds to just look out 72 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: in your backyard, so you might be more inclined to 73 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,080 Speaker 1: buy this very expensive work he was planning. So Audubon 74 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: set off for Liverpool in eighty six with letters of 75 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 1: introduction and his portfolio in tow and according to Richard 76 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: Rhodes and Smithsonian Magazine. One of these letters of introduction 77 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: was to Lucy's sister Anne, who married an englishman. He 78 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: was so rugged looking though he knocked at the door, 79 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: and he was actually asked not to call against It 80 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: seemed like a pretty unpromising start if your own sister 81 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: in law turns you away, But that actually wasn't the case. 82 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: Even though his in laws didn't receive them with open arms, 83 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: Audubon's non in law connections proved to be a lot 84 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: more promising that Those same qualities that made him unpopular 85 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia made him huge hit in Great Britain. And 86 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: Michael told us a little bit more about Auto Vonn's 87 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: reception abroad. Almost immediately he became sort of the toast 88 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: of English society that season. He was sort of celebrated 89 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: as this rugged American woodsman, and he did a great 90 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: deal to try to perpetuate that sort of romantic image. 91 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 1: His hair was long and flowing. He sort of looked 92 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: something probably like Daniel Boone to them, and in fact 93 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: that the English at that time were very enamored of 94 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: that romantic ideal of Daniel Boone or of um, you know, 95 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,839 Speaker 1: these sorts of uh, images that would come out of 96 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: the novel of James Fenimore Cooper, for example, that sort 97 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: of frontiersman image. And so he played upon that and 98 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 1: traded upon it, and he set upon or set about 99 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: showing his images, his drawings and sketches to uh the 100 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: leading minds of England at that time, and was embraced. 101 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: Um he they were again they were shocked because it 102 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: was unlike anything they had seen. But it wasn't He 103 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: didn't encounter that sort of snobbishness. I think that he 104 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: had encountered in in Philadelphia and throughout the United States, 105 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: and that probably had something to do with the United 106 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,479 Speaker 1: States then being a still fairly new country and perhaps 107 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: a little bit insecure about its place in the world. 108 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: In In in England, they were of course far more 109 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: been around a very long time, and so they were 110 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: perhaps a little bit more receptive um two new ideas 111 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: or ways of depicting the world. So with that, Daniel 112 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: Boone left of the Mohicans kind of persona to recommend him. 113 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: Audubon started renting out halls for art shows, started spicing 114 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: up his lectures by providing entertainment himself. He'd talk about 115 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: what he had seen in his travels to to draw 116 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: all these birds. He had lecture in his buckskin costume 117 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: with his hair greased back with bear fat and just 118 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: talk about frontier life. He would even imitate birds, he 119 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: would imitate war calls. He must have been quite a 120 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: one man oh for for these audiences. Yeah, I guess 121 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 1: these audiences had sort of romanticized this version of America 122 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: that he was representing to them. But in Edinburgh he 123 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: also connected with engraver William Lazars, who, despite having several 124 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: other large projects underway, agreed to take on this really 125 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: massive task of printing Birds of America. And this would 126 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: include it would be an ongoing process as they planned it, 127 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: with Audubon painting and adding new birds and Lazar's engraving them. 128 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: And Michael told us how Lazar's would have gone about 129 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: engraving the first few drawings and how the book was 130 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: planned to be released bit by bit. Here's what he 131 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: had to say. The basic process of completing the the engravings, 132 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: uh was that the someone in the printing shop would 133 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:52,679 Speaker 1: trace using tracing paper essentially would trace the watercolor, getting 134 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: the general outlines, and then that that tracing paper would 135 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: then be transferred to the copper plate, and that would 136 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: be done by basically taking the the transfer paper which 137 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: had the lead image on it, and it would be 138 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: rubbed essentially onto the plate. The plate itself would have 139 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: a wax ground across it, which would pick up enough 140 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: of the the traced image that then someone could then 141 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: take a burain, which is essentially like a needle, and 142 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: then trace those lines on the copper plate, scooping out 143 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: that wax ground only where the lines appear. The plate 144 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: is then put into an acid bath, and depending on 145 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,199 Speaker 1: how long the plate is left in the acid bath, 146 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,839 Speaker 1: that will affect how how deeply the acid eats into 147 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: the plate. And the deeper the the the acid eats 148 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: into the plate, the darker the line or the broader 149 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: the line. So it allows you to achieve a darker 150 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: image and also vary the width of the line. And 151 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: it's something that skilled engraver or someone who's used to 152 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: working with the medium of etching can do in a 153 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: very controlled manner, and that was something that Lazar's or 154 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: the people in his printing shop could do. So Audubon's 155 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: plan for printing Birds of America was fairly straightforward in 156 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: the sense that it was done through subscription, which was 157 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: not uncommon at that time. That was something that was 158 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: common in the book trade, especially for larger works that 159 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: promised to be published over a period of years. Uh 160 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: and Audubon projected at the outset that it would take 161 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: him about fourteen years to finally finished printing Birds of America, 162 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,559 Speaker 1: and his plan was that he would publish the work 163 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: by subscription serially, that there would be five numbers or 164 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: or sort of packets of images that would be issued 165 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: per year, with five individual plates per number. There would 166 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: be one large full size image typically within those that 167 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: collection of five plates, one medium size image, and then 168 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: the last three plates would be smaller birds depicted. So 169 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: you have one very large, stunning image typically and then 170 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: several smaller images within each packet. The price he estimated 171 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,200 Speaker 1: for each UH number was about a hundred and forty pounds, 172 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 1: which would come out to about in today's money, about 173 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,199 Speaker 1: eleven thousand pounds for the complete printing run that was 174 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 1: the projection, or about fifty dollars in seven money um. 175 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: That would be roughly I believe about nine hundred thousand 176 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: dollars in today's money, So it promised to be a 177 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 1: very large undertaking. Both from a financial standpoint and also 178 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: from a printing standpoint as well. So Lazar's released about 179 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: ten engravings before word got back to Audubon that Lazar's 180 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: color as had gone strikes. So these were the people 181 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:53,560 Speaker 1: who would hand color every single print, and this, of 182 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: course threatened to draw out what was already going to 183 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:59,439 Speaker 1: be a lengthy printing process. Plus, Audubon hadn't been a 184 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: hundred since satisfied with what he had seen the work 185 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: he had seen from Lazars, and he was worried too 186 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: that Lazars was working on so many projects and wouldn't 187 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 1: be able to dedicate himself fully to this one massive project. 188 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 1: So Michael told us a little bit about what happened 189 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: after Audubon got this news. Here's what he had to say. 190 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,440 Speaker 1: Audubon saw very quickly that he needed to find another 191 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: publisher for Birds of America, and he just almost through happenstance. 192 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: He had a letter of introduction to a man in London, 193 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: one of the leading printers and publishers in London, a 194 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: man named Robert Hovel, and he went to see Hovel 195 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: and inquired about the possibility of Hovel taking the project over. 196 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: Hovel was again very much in favor of doing it, 197 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: because it was such a monumental undertaking. However, he said, 198 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: you know, I'm so far advanced in age. You know 199 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,719 Speaker 1: this is promising to take fourteen or so years to do. 200 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,160 Speaker 1: He said, what I'll agree to do is this, I'll 201 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: take over the project. I'll oversee the engravers. I can't 202 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: do it myself, but I'll find someone who can engrave 203 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: the images up to your standards, and I'll oversee them 204 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: and we can continue with the publishing of Birds of 205 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: America here in London. So Hovel set about finding and 206 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: an engraver um for Birds of America, and he asked 207 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: several colleagues, and one of the colleagues said, oh, yes, 208 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: I know a young man who can do a great job, 209 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:27,959 Speaker 1: and brought a sample of this person's work, and have 210 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: all said, oh, this is fantastic quality work. You know, 211 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: this is exactly what I'm looking for. He said, who 212 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: is this person? He said, well, if you like the work, 213 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: I think you'll like the person. It's your son, Robert 214 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: Hovel Jr. Umvelt Robert Hovel Jr. And his father had 215 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 1: done somewhat estranged for a period of years and hadn't 216 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: really been in contact too much, but they were able 217 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: to reconcile very quickly with the prospect of taking on 218 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: this monumental project. Robert Hovel Jr. Came back into the fold, 219 00:12:55,960 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: began working in his father's shop, and uh Audubon asked 220 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,960 Speaker 1: Lazars to send the first ten copper plates to Robert Hovel, 221 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: which they retouched and reworked and brought up to the 222 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: current standard, and they began moving forward from that point on. 223 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: So this partnership with Havel and his son proved especially 224 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: lucky for Audubon since Havevel was a master of something 225 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:23,679 Speaker 1: called aquitint, an engraving technique that allowed for a tone gradation. 226 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: And from a practical side, what this meant was that 227 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: the colorless hand coloring all of those prints didn't have 228 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: to achieve shading with their paint. They could do a 229 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: flat wash. But it also meant a beautiful and product. Michael, 230 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: who of course works with the book at the New 231 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 1: York Public Library, said that aquitint really adds depth and 232 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,440 Speaker 1: difference between the first ten plates and the later ones 233 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,320 Speaker 1: um and that difference is really clear when you look 234 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: at them side by side. Okay, so at this point, 235 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: the hovels were publishing the completed drawings, and Audubon with 236 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: heading back to America every now and then to keep 237 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: on local eating and keep on painting new birds to 238 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: add to the collection. But he was also writing his 239 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: Ornithological Biography, which was kind of an index to go 240 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: with the printed book, So an index of all the 241 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:16,439 Speaker 1: species mentioned, complete with tall tales and notes on how 242 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: the birds tasted, retention that in the last episode, and 243 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: wilderness stories to some of which she just completely made up. 244 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: But Audubon's work in Europe and American cities wasn't over either, 245 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: because he still had to constantly raise subscriptions and maintain 246 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: the orders of his clients, so there was a business 247 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: side as well as the artistic side to it. Subscription, though, 248 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: did offer some advantages for him, even though it required 249 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: this constant maintenance. It did it provided a steady income 250 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: stream for a project that ended up costing about nine 251 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars in modern currency, and it also allowed 252 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: Audubon to get around laws requiring donations of complete sets 253 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 1: to British Library, which would have been a huge loss right, 254 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: but subscriptions costing about one thousand, fifty dollars at the 255 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 1: time for a complete set. Only the very rich could 256 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: afford these books. Michael told us Some of the subscribers 257 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: included George the fourth of England, Charles the tenth of France, 258 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: whose subscription actually got interrupted when he was deposed. The 259 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: British Museum was another subscriber, the Library of Congress, Daniel Webster, 260 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: and John Jacob Astor. According to Audubon's notes, there were 261 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: eventually one hundred and sixty one subscribers, though interestingly some 262 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: didn't make it through the entire run. As Michael explains 263 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: to us here there were there was a financial panic, 264 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 1: a depression in eighteen thirty six, for example, and uh, 265 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: that most likely put a dent in the subscription. When 266 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: you're forced with deciding if you want to pay for 267 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: your your your land, or your home or a book 268 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: about birds, probably the book about birds is the first 269 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: thing to go. So that was kind of a funny 270 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 1: and to this whole subscription story. But you can imagine 271 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: that with Audubon keeping subscribers interested in overseeing the printing 272 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:07,040 Speaker 1: and sketching birds still too, he didn't really have that 273 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 1: much time to spend it home with his family in 274 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: New Orleans, and especially during the first few years when 275 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: he was really still getting the project off the ground 276 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: and still really the toast of the town to doing 277 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: those lectures in his buckskins. And it's during this time 278 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: that he and his wife had a misunderstanding of miscommunication. 279 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: And he had been abroad for about two years and 280 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: he was getting lonely. He wrote to Lucy and asked 281 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,520 Speaker 1: her to join him in Europe, but somehow or another, 282 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: their letters got crossed in the mail and he came 283 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: away with the impression that she would only leave Louisiana 284 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: when he was finally rich. Well, she thought he just 285 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: wasn't interested in her anymore. He was famous now, the 286 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: toast of the town, like we said, and just didn't 287 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 1: want his wife hanging around. So finally, according to Rhodes, 288 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: Lucy basically wrote, come home. We need to talk, We 289 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: need to figure this out, And so Audubon started this 290 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: epic trip home. Yeah, he arrived in by U. Sarah 291 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:08,959 Speaker 1: in the middle of the night in November, and he 292 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: later wrote about wandering through St. Francisville looking for a 293 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: horse to ride the fifteen miles to Lucy school, but 294 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: he only found the house is emptied by yellow fever. 295 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: Finally he got a horse and he rode through the 296 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: night and got to Lucy school at six am, but 297 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 1: he found her already teaching piano. Here's how he described 298 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: the scene. I pronounced her name gently, she saw me, 299 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: and the next moment I held her in my arms. 300 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: Her emotion was so great I feared I had acted rashly. 301 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,679 Speaker 1: But tears relieved our hearts. Once more we were together. 302 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: So this is why we think audubon story needs to 303 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: be a movie, This grand romantic scene. And Lucy and 304 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: Audubon basically didn't separate after that, and as their sons 305 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: grew up, they joined the family business of producing Birds 306 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 1: of America, something that went on for a very long time, 307 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: not wait as long as Audubon expected, but finally completed 308 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,640 Speaker 1: publication in eighteen thirty nine after twelve years. So at 309 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: this point Audubon was fifty three years old. Birds of 310 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,400 Speaker 1: America had been his lifelong project. And Michael Edman told 311 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,200 Speaker 1: us a little bit about what somebody like this was 312 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 1: going to do next, and here's what he had to say. Audubon, 313 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:25,159 Speaker 1: uh did not really make any money at all on 314 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: the initial publication of Birds on the double elephant folio 315 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: volume um and that term referring simply to the size 316 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 1: of the paper that was used, which was the largest 317 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 1: commercially available sized paper that was available at that time. 318 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: He made virtually no money on that, and so he 319 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:46,440 Speaker 1: immediately in eighteen thirty nine, as publication well in too 320 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: to a close, he began looking for ways to recoup 321 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 1: some of his investment and almost immediately began working on 322 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:59,680 Speaker 1: a smaller version of Birds of America, what was known 323 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,719 Speaker 1: as the Royal Octabo version, which is a much smaller 324 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: format book format uh and he began printing or having 325 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: that published within a matter of a few years. They 326 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: began publishing this Royal Octavo format, and because number one, 327 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: it was smaller, and also they used a different printing process. 328 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: Instead of using etching and engraving and aquatint, they used lithography, 329 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: which was much easier to a format a meeting that's 330 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 1: much easier easier to work with. They were able to 331 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,160 Speaker 1: publish it much more cheaply, and he made a good 332 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: deal of money off of the Royal Octabo version, in 333 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: fact enough that he was able to secure his financial 334 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:45,919 Speaker 1: future for pretty much the remainder of his life. It 335 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 1: made um a very large chunk of money for him, 336 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: so the family ended up moving to this nice house 337 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 1: in New York, and the unstoppable, audible, and or seemingly 338 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 1: unstoppable also started planning a work on the mammals of America. 339 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: So he spent three years on that work that he 340 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: was aging rapidly. His eyesight started to fail and he 341 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,800 Speaker 1: became senile, and he finally died in eighteen fifty one. 342 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: His last lucid words were to invite his visiting brother 343 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 1: in law to go hunting with him. Lucy lived for 344 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: many more years after that, eventually running out of money, 345 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,200 Speaker 1: though first she sold off the water colors and then 346 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: the copper plates to try to support herself, and according 347 00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,160 Speaker 1: to Souder's article, Audubon had had these sent home after 348 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 1: printing was completed, but the ships sank in the New 349 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:35,959 Speaker 1: York Harbor that destroyed many of the plates, and the 350 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: others were damaged in at five warehouse fire. The remaining 351 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: plates Lucy sold were being melted down for scrap metal 352 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:46,479 Speaker 1: when the plant manager's son realized what they were and 353 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: save the ones that he could. He basically just salvaged 354 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,440 Speaker 1: whatever was left. In two thousand two, the Audubon State 355 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: Park Museum in Kentucky actually struck prints from one of them, 356 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,840 Speaker 1: so they still work. They still work, and today too. 357 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:01,359 Speaker 1: I mean, we've got to talk about the remaining copies 358 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: of the book. To those one thousand fifty dollar double 359 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: elephant copies of Birds of America go for about eight 360 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,240 Speaker 1: million dollars, meaning that most of the one d and 361 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: twenty known complete sets are held by museums and universities 362 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,680 Speaker 1: and libraries. And I guess we can assume a small 363 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 1: number of very wealthy people. But it really makes sense 364 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 1: from a physical standpoint as well as a financial one, 365 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: that these books are held in institutions, considering that they 366 00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,639 Speaker 1: are very large books once that would be quite difficult 367 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 1: to display in a private home, even a well appointed 368 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: private home. I would say they measure thirty nine and 369 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 1: a half inches by twenty nine and a half inches. 370 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: And Michael told us a little bit about what a 371 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,439 Speaker 1: book of that size is like and how you have 372 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 1: to deal with it, and here's what he had to say. 373 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: And each volume weighs over sixty pounds. And I know this, 374 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: uh from experience, that it's it's very it's not a 375 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 1: good idea to try to lift it by yourself. I 376 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 1: did try that one time, I and spent the next 377 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,640 Speaker 1: week flat on my back in bed with a herniated disc. 378 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: It's it's such a large, bulky work and and weighing 379 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: over sixty pounds that it's something that it has to 380 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,920 Speaker 1: be lifted by two people. And in fact, it takes 381 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,639 Speaker 1: two people generally to turn the pages, because otherwise you 382 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: run the risk of the pages beginning to tear or 383 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: rip down at the binding if you if you don't 384 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:25,400 Speaker 1: turn them in a very controlled, careful manner. The books, though, 385 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:29,360 Speaker 1: are generally because of their size, are generally stored flat um, 386 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: and most libraries then as now would generally store the 387 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 1: books flat um. Storing them in an upright manners puts 388 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 1: a lot of stress on the binding, because that's the 389 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,879 Speaker 1: sown binding is carrying a lot of weight. So you 390 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: want to to relieve the binding of that sort of stress, 391 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: so you would store it flat. So we started this 392 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: series on Audubon by talking about the founding of the 393 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:53,879 Speaker 1: Audubon Society by George Bird Grinnell. Grinnell did have a 394 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:57,800 Speaker 1: connection to Audubon. He had studied with Lucy in her widowhood. 395 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 1: But to some folks, the connection between a conservation society 396 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:05,239 Speaker 1: and a famous bird hunter might seem surprising, so it's 397 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: important to remember that while Audubon noted and celebrated the 398 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: seemingly endless bounty of birds in America, one of his 399 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,080 Speaker 1: famous journal entries in fact described seeing the sky black 400 00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: with passenger pigeons like an eclipse. He also noted later 401 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 1: in his career how things seemed less bountiful, how robbing 402 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,920 Speaker 1: nests of eggs was unsustainable, and how mass shootings were happening, 403 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: and some of the birds he painted are now extinct, 404 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,200 Speaker 1: including the passenger pigeon. Yeah, and in our interview, Michael 405 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: Edman suggested that it was Audubon's passion for birds and 406 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: their habitat that made him the figurehead he is in 407 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 1: the Natural World and the PBS documentary we talked about 408 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:47,639 Speaker 1: on Audubon suggested that it was that early recognition of 409 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: loss that made him a conservation figure and realizing before 410 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 1: many people did, what was really happening and how this 411 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 1: just wasn't gonna last. But I can also see how 412 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:02,120 Speaker 1: Audubon's beautiful drawings served as a great example of what 413 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: was worth saving and could have helped impress upon, say, 414 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,919 Speaker 1: the Boston blue Bloods who we were mentioning in the 415 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 1: earlier episode, who weren't going to see egrets in the 416 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: everglades of live birds, it would help impress upon them 417 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,399 Speaker 1: that the birds themselves were really more beautiful than than 418 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 1: their feathers and then than the hats that were made 419 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,440 Speaker 1: from their feathers, especially since his paintings were so different 420 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,560 Speaker 1: than anything else that was around during his time. I mean, 421 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: some of the paintings of the birds, they really do 422 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 1: seem to have a personality, like a kind of life 423 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: to them. But we had one last question of Michael 424 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 1: Inman that we wanted to ask. Out of the four 425 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: thirty five plates and the one eight nine species and 426 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: the one thousand and sixty five birds depicted in Birds 427 00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:49,120 Speaker 1: of America, we wanted to know which was his favorite. 428 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:52,919 Speaker 1: And it's very difficult to pick out one that is 429 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: my absolute favorite. Um Usually it's the you know, I 430 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: turned the page and that one I'm looking at as 431 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 1: you know, my my favorite. If I had to pick, though, 432 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: I would say plate number twenty six, which is the 433 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:09,679 Speaker 1: Carolina parakeet. Uh, in part because it is one of 434 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 1: those birds that's now extinct. And an Audubon captured the 435 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:17,800 Speaker 1: bird in such a wonderful manner. UM. There are multiple 436 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,560 Speaker 1: Carolina parakeets in the image, UM, six or seven at least, 437 00:25:21,560 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: as I recall, and they're depicted in this vibrant green 438 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: it was a bright green parakeet. And it's it's just 439 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:33,120 Speaker 1: a stunning, stunning image. Uh. It's it's so dynamic. There's 440 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,920 Speaker 1: so much action taking place in that image, and the 441 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 1: birds are are are moving in certain cases, are looking 442 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 1: directly at you. UM. You really get a sense that 443 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,639 Speaker 1: you're wandering through a thicket or some or someplace a 444 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: swamp in the Carolinas, and suddenly you move a tree 445 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: branch and there they are, just right in front of you. 446 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:56,120 Speaker 1: It's a really stunning image, and it's very colorful and alive. 447 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: And I think the overall, UM, that would be my 448 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 1: favor for it UM. But again it's hard. Some some 449 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: of my other favorite ones are for lesser known species. 450 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 1: Some of my favorite images are for birds that are UM. 451 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: Some of the small illustrations. The Carolina parakeet is one 452 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 1: of those images that's a full page UM. But some 453 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,120 Speaker 1: of the ones that are smaller images that are more 454 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,480 Speaker 1: delicate in nature Um, those are some of my favorites too, 455 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: because the more you look at them, the more you see, uh, 456 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 1: you know, a spider dangling on a web that's almost imperceptible, 457 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 1: or um, you know the details of the foliage, the 458 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: flowers in the background. There's there's so much there to see, 459 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: and every time you look at Audubon's work, you see 460 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 1: something new that you've you've never noticed before. And to 461 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: my mind, that's one of the great achievements and hallmarks 462 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,400 Speaker 1: of Audubon's Birds of America is that you are always 463 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 1: seeing something more every time you look at it. So 464 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: it's tough for Michael to pick his favorite bird, and 465 00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 1: it was for us too. We actually didn't pick one, 466 00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,159 Speaker 1: but we wanted to invite all of the listeners to 467 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: email us and let us know what maybe your favorite 468 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,399 Speaker 1: bird and Birds of America is, And we'd like to 469 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: know as well. Is it because you just like the 470 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,600 Speaker 1: bird or exactly or because you actually appreciate the illustration 471 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: and and that made you change your opinion of it 472 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: for some reason or another. So right to us. We're 473 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:23,159 Speaker 1: at History Podcast Discovery dot com. We're also on Facebook, 474 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: and we're on Twitter at mist in History and We 475 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,200 Speaker 1: do have an article on the Audubon Society. That society 476 00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 1: named for this famous illustrator. It's called How the Autumn 477 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 1: Society Works, and you can find out a little bit 478 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: more about the plum hunting too, and some of the 479 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:42,680 Speaker 1: crazy later history of the Audubon Society. Um the plume 480 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,640 Speaker 1: hunters took the mission pretty seriously. Let's just say that 481 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,680 Speaker 1: sometimes stoop into murder. So if you want to check 482 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 1: that out, search for the Audubon Society on our website 483 00:27:52,880 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: at www dot how stuff works dot com for more 484 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,919 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics. Is it how 485 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. M