28. attend a Chautauqua

The setting, a generic large room, was less romantic than the Chautauqua tent, but we were warm and dry for our evening with John James Audubon, the artist who brought us Birds of America. Audubon was portrayed, by Richard Johnson, as a much calmer character than Theodore Roosevelt--I told my brother this on the phone tonight and he said "Well, you would have to be quiet to watch all those birds."



Audubon came to America in 1803 after a childhood in Haiti and France. Perhaps. He was told different stories about his birth and, apparently, didn't mind making up his own versions. He tried to convince us that he could be the lost son of the king of France, but we weren't buying it.

After some early business success with a partner, Audubon was unable to run a mill on his own. Bankrupt and starting over, his wife supported him in his dream to paint and publish the birds of America. He drew the birds life-size on very large paper--the size is called double elephant folio. He aimed for life-like, natural poses, colored exactly in the shades of the birds in the wild.

Unable to find an engraver to print his birds in the United States, Audubon scraped together the money to go to Europe where he was able to find an engraver. The double elephant folio of Birds of America contains 435 engraved plates with 500 species of birds. These folios sold for $1000 in the 1830s and were bought by royalty in Europe, among others. The U.S. government bought copies to use as gifts to visiting dignitaries. Later, Audubon and his engraver produced a quarter-sized version, the royal octavo size, and added 35 more species. This smaller version sold for $100.

Audubon was aware of the abundance of America, both in nature and in opportunity. He recognized that the natural world was being adversely effected by the encroachment of the "white man." During a trip to Labrador where he was unsuccessful in his quest to see the great auk, Audubon noted with concern the devastation wrought by man in Labrador and said that "nature herself is perishing." He knew that some of the species of birds he drew might one day be known only through his art.

Besides the environmental message, Audubon also wanted us to know that because of the abundance of opportunity in America, people can reinvent themselves. Unusual or unknown birth circumstances, bankruptcy, personal tragedies or failures. All of these can be overcome or swept aside in the pursuit of one's dream in America.