Botany
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Anna Atkins
British (1799–1871) Form: Cyanotype Blueprints (Cameraless Photography) Function: British Algae Classification Source: Met Museum Emily Dickinson American (1830-1886) Form: Herbarium and Poetry Function: Plant Classification Source: A Petal for a Paragraph Lucy Smith British (-) Form: Drawing Function: Plant Discoveries Source: Botanical Artists |
Julia Whittney Barnes
American (-) Form: Cyanotype Blueprints/Watercolor Function: Decorative Commercial Art Source: Visionary Project Amanda Marchand & Leah Sobsey
Americans (-) Form: Anthotypes Function: Plant Emulsion Experiments Sources: This Earthen Door, Discover and Share |
Source: Botanical Art & Artists
Entomology
John Barlow Burton
British (1816-1879)
Form: Drawing
Function: Insect Discoveries
Source: Lectures on Entomology
University of Maryland Department of Entomology - Insect Drawings
British (1816-1879)
Form: Drawing
Function: Insect Discoveries
Source: Lectures on Entomology
University of Maryland Department of Entomology - Insect Drawings
Ornithology
James Audubon
French-American (1785-1841)
Form: Pencil/Pastel/Watercolor
Function: Bird Classification
Source: John James Audubon, Birds of America, Carolina Parrot
French-American (1785-1841)
Form: Pencil/Pastel/Watercolor
Function: Bird Classification
Source: John James Audubon, Birds of America, Carolina Parrot
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John James Audubon, 1826
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Birds have long been a source of fascination for artists, but perhaps no artist has had more of an influence on this world than John James Audubon. At the turn of the 19th century, French-born Audubon would make his way to America as an 18-year-old boy. He would then spend his life engrossed with his love of birds to create one of the most epic books of all time, The Birds of America.
It took seven years to begin publishing The Birds of America and eleven years to complete the entire series. An ambitious undertaking, it was Audubon’s goal to paint every bird in North America. To do so took tenacity and sacrifice, but thanks to his efforts, we now have a time capsule of what American wildlife looked like in the 19th century.
Audubon’s bird drawings continue to resonate today. As opposed to prior bird illustrations, which were made after studying dead specimens, Audubon actually went out into the field and made direct observations. This allowed him to come back into the studio and pose the specimens in a more natural fashion using wires.
That translated into dramatic and dynamic views of wildlife, which had previously never been seen. The sheer magnitude of the work, which contains 435 life-size watercolors, is impressive even today. While fewer than 200 complete sets of prints were ever issued, those few that still remain today are incredible examples of artistry and scientific passion.
But Audubon’s contribution is not just artistic, it's also scientific. Not only did Audubon identify 25 new bird species during his research, but he also included birds that have now disappeared. Five species—the Carolina parakeet, passenger pigeon, Labrador duck, great auk, pinnated grouse—are now extinct and one, the Eskimo curlew, hasn’t had a confirmed sighting since 1963. Thanks to Audubon’s meticulous work, we forever have a view of American ornithology in the 19th century.
Source: https://mymodernmet.com/john-james-audubon-birds-of-america/
It took seven years to begin publishing The Birds of America and eleven years to complete the entire series. An ambitious undertaking, it was Audubon’s goal to paint every bird in North America. To do so took tenacity and sacrifice, but thanks to his efforts, we now have a time capsule of what American wildlife looked like in the 19th century.
Audubon’s bird drawings continue to resonate today. As opposed to prior bird illustrations, which were made after studying dead specimens, Audubon actually went out into the field and made direct observations. This allowed him to come back into the studio and pose the specimens in a more natural fashion using wires.
That translated into dramatic and dynamic views of wildlife, which had previously never been seen. The sheer magnitude of the work, which contains 435 life-size watercolors, is impressive even today. While fewer than 200 complete sets of prints were ever issued, those few that still remain today are incredible examples of artistry and scientific passion.
But Audubon’s contribution is not just artistic, it's also scientific. Not only did Audubon identify 25 new bird species during his research, but he also included birds that have now disappeared. Five species—the Carolina parakeet, passenger pigeon, Labrador duck, great auk, pinnated grouse—are now extinct and one, the Eskimo curlew, hasn’t had a confirmed sighting since 1963. Thanks to Audubon’s meticulous work, we forever have a view of American ornithology in the 19th century.
Source: https://mymodernmet.com/john-james-audubon-birds-of-america/
More Artists: Genevieve Jones
