An Audubon print is either an original produced by Audubon and/or his family during the ninteenth century or any of the later reproductions. Audubon produced prints on paper, as did those who produced reproductions. They are all Audubon prints, a rather generic term. Thus it is best to differentiate by simply terming the originals as original Audubon prints. We advise caution as several Audubon print websites do not clearly distinguish between ninteenth century originals and their own reproductions, sometimes terming their reproductions as Havells (Audubon's engraver) instead of reproductions of Havells. You will also often see common reproductions on sites such as eBay presented as originals. Further, Audubon prints advertised as vintage are usually reproductions of little or no value.

Rarely. Some of his oils have a cameo included. But our original engraving of the Snowy Egret has a figure approaching from the bottom right which has been said to be Audubon. For this reason, many collectors desire this print. You decide.

The number at top left of each double elephant is a group number. There were 87 such groups consisting of 5 prints each. The number at top right is the individual plate number, from 1 to 435. These plate numbers were usually in Roman numerals. Interestingly, plate numbers ending with a 1 or 6 will be a larger bird or composition. Why? Audubon released prints to subscribers in groups of five, with the first print in each group generally being a large bird or a full page composition. Smaller numbers appearing next to birds within the image correspond to the type, sex or maturity of each bird as noted in the bottom script. 

"It is now a month since my work was begun by Mr. Lizars; the paper is of unusual size, called 'double elephant', and the plates are to be finished in such superb style as to eclipse all of the same kind in existence." - J.J. Audubon, December 10, 1826

And 'eclipse all' he did! No other ornithology prints could measure up to Audubon's - literally!  As indicated above, the term 'double elephant' refers to the unusual (double) size of the paper used by Audubon and his engravers (Havell followed Lizars) for the original "Birds of America." The untrimmed paper measured a gargantuan 29 1/2 x 39 1/2 inches! Officially, the proper English measurement for double elephant paper is 40 x 27 inches - untrimmed. Elephant paper is a bit smaller, measuring 28 x 23 inches untrimmed. 

Why such a large (double) size? Audubon insisted that each bird be depicted life-size. When you consider the immense proportions of subjects such as the Brown Pelican or of the White Pelican or the American Flamingo, the necessity of choosing 'double elephant' paper becomes obvious.

But to this, Audubon himself adds ...

"Merely to say, that each of my illustrations is of the size of nature, were too vague ... Not only is every object, as a whole, of the natural size, but also every portion of each object. The compass aided me in its delineation, regulated and corrected each part, ... The bill, the feet, the legs, the claws, the very feathers as they project one beyond another, have been accurately measured." John James Audubon. Ornithological Biography, Volume 1

Here is a list of copper plate sizes.

The sizes listed above will correspond to the plate mark impression on Havells.

Audubon originals are often referred to by a specific plate number. These large smooth copper plates, numbered from 1 to 435, had reverse images etched into them such as shown here for the Labrador Falcon and Hooping Crane. The plate was then (1) Black-inked, (2) Dampened paper was pressed upon it. (3) The paper was pulled from the plate, resulting in a properly oriented black and white image. (4) The image was then hand colored. This was repeated about 200 times, after which the engravings lost their crisp edge. This is why many original documents and works of art from this time period were limited to about 200 copies.

A copper plate is just like it sounds, a large smooth rectangular sheet of copper. Havell, often under the direct supervision of Audubon himself, would then engrave with precision tools a reverse image of the watercolor study into the copper plate. Some plates being as large as 27 1/2 x 39 1/2 inches, and others being smaller for the smaller images. When finished, the plates were inked and dampened paper (all paper being double elephant size, 27 1/2 x 39 1/2 inches, untrimmed) was placed upon them, and then both were run through rollers of a press. The paper was then pulled, or peeled off the plate. What resulted was a properly oriented black and white image, no longer reversed.

Audubon chose Whatman paper for his originals. Manufactured in Kent, England, this was the finest paper available. James Whatman developed wove paper, and continued manufacturing it until his death in 1759. His son, James, then ran the business, but sold it to Thomas Hollingsworth in 1792. The Hollingsworth family continued making this paper until 1976.

This double elephant paper measures about 29 x 39 inches and has a watermark on the back - J WHATMAN - often followed by a date. Some sheets additionally have TURKEY MILL countermarked into the paper. This is thought to refer to the mills original purpose, grinding Turkey wheat from India.

Here is a picture of the making of double elephant Whatman paper.

George Washington signed State documents on Whatman paper, Napoleon wrote his will on Whatman paper while on the Island of St. Helena, William Blake used it for four of his illuminated books and Queen Victoria used Whatman paper for her personal stationary.

The watermark, which is actually a countermark, can be seen on the back of untrimmed Havells while held up to a source of light and stretches across the paper for about 10 inches. Look a few inches within the long edge of the paper. The name J Whatman is followed by the year the paper was manufactured. The name Turkey Mill appears in some countermarks, evidently alluding to the mill’s original purpose of grinding Turkey Wheat from India.

All original Audubon prints have value. However, there is no price list since each print differs from the other regarding condition and provenance. Guidance can be given based on auction and private sales. All prices listed for originals on the Internet or bricks and mortar stores should be considered asking prices. A word of caution - the presence of script at the bottom of the print saying that it was drawn from nature by Audubon, or engraved by Havell or Bowen, does not indicate originality, as reproductions also reproduce such script. The smallest of Audubon originals, the octavo birds and mammals can have a value of less than one hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on the popularity of the image and condition of the print. Imperial mammals which measure about 21 x 28 inches are generally valued from about five hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, again depending upon the popularity of the image and condition of the print. Audubon Havells rarely sell for less than one thousand dollars for smaller images but can sell for upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand for the larger images, again depending upon the popularity of the image and the condition of the prints.

The Lord-Hopkins Collection represents the last known prints to come out of Bowen's Philadelphia studio. 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. The 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. We cannot definitively say why these test sheets and pattern prints 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.