Princeton Audubon Field Sparrow

Princeton Audubon Double Elephant Edition

Double elephant (life size - 26 1/4 x 39 1/4) •Limited edition of 1500. •Pencil-numbered and embossed with the Princeton Audubon Limited seal. •Up to 11 color plates used. •Specially developed fade-proof inks. Absolute color fidelity to the actual original. •Printed on a 300 line. •Very heavy archival paper which is recommended by the Library of Congress for archives and is specially toned to match the actual color of the antique originals. •Registered to purchaser. •As permanently displayed at The Royal Society of London, to which Audubon belonged as a Fellow.

Princetons began with the purchase of the actual originals which were physically used in the production process. A giant camera with film the same size as the print took a direct-capture picture of the original, and this exact image was transferred directly to the metal printing plates. There are no other Audubon facsimiles which match the quality of Princeton prints.

This print was based on a painting dated July 11, 1829, the day on which the artist left Great Egg Harbor, New Jersey, after a visit of four weeks.  Audubon wrote of it:   "Travelling from Egg Harbor towards Philadelphia, I found a nest of this species placed at the foot of a bush growing in almost pure sand.  Near it were the plants which you see accompanying the figure."
A pink bill and plain breast are characteristic field marks of this bird, and the term "field" is a bit misleading as it is rarely seen in cultivated fields, but rather in woodland borders or old pasture lots growing up with weeds and bushes.  It is a persistent singer and from a singing perch, usually atop a bush or small tree, it sends forth its clear, sweet, and melancholy notes.