John James Audubon Original Imperial Test Sheets
Imperial Test Sheets
Discovered in 1923 by Mary A. Guerrero Lord who was visiting her mother Henrietta Potter James, owner of the house on the corner of South 9th Street in Philadelphia and what is now known as Bonaparte Ct. Her home was earlier rented by Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother and Audubon’s friend. These Imperial prints were bundled and abandoned in a back alley near the second studio that Bowen used in the 1800’s when producing Audubon’s birds and quadrupeds. They were together with pattern prints from the Octavo series. We cannot definitively say why they were purposely kept for some time by Bowen, and perhaps forgotten after his death. We will provide a Certificate of Authenticity noting that they are part of the Lord-Hopkins collection - the last known prints to come from Bowen’s studio. These prints are part of American printmaking history. The condition, ranging from poor to fair, is not of prime concern, due to their historical value. Many are uncolored, allowing one to see the printmaking process. We suggest collectors frame them to archival standards. In some cases we have the matching original, colored, in our Imperial gallery.
