John James Audubon
Although little is known about Audubon’s birthplace and birthdate, it is believed that he was born in 1780 in Louisiana. In his youth he moved around, and while living in Pennsylvania developed a love for the natural world and became an amateur naturalist. He later married his neighbor, Lucy Bakewell, and she became very supportive of his work and supported the family economically. Throughout his lifetime, Audubon studied mostly birds and was a curator of the Cincinnati museum. He later moved to England, leaving his family with Lucy, and displayed work at the Liverpool Exhibition. Audubon published books of his works in London, but struggled to sell them. The books were mostly sketches of the Birds of America, with some information about observations he had made. Audubon’s sketches are what he was most remembered for. After moving back to America, Audubon died in 1851.
Audubon was placed in the Great Kentucky Naturalists group of cottages. Lewis said of him, “everything he had he gave for the most beautiful things he could see.”
Eliza Brodie
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