John James Audubon

John James Audubon

Biography by Brian K.

John James Audubon is America's wildlife artist. His book, Birds of America, is treasured by millions of people throughout the world. Audubon was born in 1785 in Santo Domingo, Haiti. His original name was Fougere, but he became John James when his family moved to the United States. His father was a French sea captain and merchant.

As a boy, Audubon drew pictures of birds and hung them in his room. He liked birds so much that he would sneak out of school just to watch them. At age 17, Audubon went to Paris to study art. He didn't like France, but felt strongly enough about the country to fight in the French army against the British. After the war, Audubon moved to Mill Groves , New York to work on his father's land. John James Audubon married Lucy in 1808. They had two sons. Audubon drew pictures of birds at the same time as he was trying to work at a couple of businesses. He was a merchant and later owned a mill. He failed at business and owed a lot of people a lot of money.

He even spent time in jail. He became a full-time artist. He met people in New Orleans and Philadelphia who liked his work. They introduced him to publishers in England. By1829, Audubon's sons had become so interested in his work that they helped him paint and write books about birds, too. Audubon continued to study and look for interesting birds. He worked in Florida and Canada.

His book, Birds of America, was finished in 1838. He would later travel west to study and paint other animals such as the buffalo. John James Audubon died on January 27, 1885. Audubon's style was very realistic. His pictures are scientifically accurate. His favorite subjects were birds in their natural surroundings. In my picture, I drew wild birds sitting in a tree and tried to make them as realistic as possible.