1998 32c Four Centuries of American Art: John James Audubon

U.S. #3236e
32¢ John James Audubon
Four Centuries of American Art

Issue Date: August 27, 1998
City: Santa Clara, CA
Quantity: 4,000,000
Printed By: Sennett Security Products
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 10.2
Color: Multicolored

John James Audubon (1785-1851) left a graphic representation of America’s natural scene that hasn’t been matched by any artist since. His paintings of birds went far beyond illustration, and have been recognized as formal pieces of art.

Audubon was born in Haiti, the illegitimate son of a French merchant and a Haitian chambermaid. His mother died soon after his birth, and he was raised in France by his father’s family. Audubon began studying and drawing birds as a child. By 1806, he was living in America. After failing to establish himself as a businessman, he decided to become a full-time artist. 

While teaching drawing and painting portraits in Cincinnati, Audubon began planning what would become the greatest collection of his works, The Birds of America. This four-volume set included 435 life-size species in full color on the biggest sheets of paper available at the time. 

In order to draw the birds for the book series, Audubon killed them. At that time, the only way to study birds close up was to shoot them. After doing so, he would wire the bird into position on a board. This allowed Audubon to use the actual bird as the basis for the illustration.