Audubon Jaguar: An Original 19th C. Audubon Hand Colored Quadruped Lithograph, 1849-1854

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This rare original John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph is entitled "The Jaguar", No. 21, Plate CI, 101 from … Read more This rare original John James Audubon hand-colored royal octavo lithograph is entitled "The Jaguar", No. 21, Plate CI, 101 from Audubon's "Quadrupeds of North America". It was drawn on stone by William Hitchcock, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and published in 1849-1854. It depicts a female jaguar crouched at the base of a tree, growling with its left paw elevated apparently in a posture suggesting that it is ready to pounce. There is a wooded hill in the distance.

This original hand-colored Audubon quadruped lithograph includes the descriptive text pages 1-10 from Audubon's original publication. The print has some discoloration in the right margin, which does not affect the image. It is otherwise in very good condition. The sheet measures 6.75" x 10.13".

John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a naturalist and artist. He was initially unsuccessful financially prior to the publication of his famous work “The Birds of America”, spending time in debtor’s prison, once stabbing a disgruntled investor in self-defense. However, his obsession with birds and art motivated him to persist in his goal of documenting every bird in America via his watercolor paintings and publishing his works for all to enjoy. Audubon's first illustrations were published in a large elephant folio size. Due to their expense they were purchased in rather small numbers by the wealthy. To reach a larger audience, Audubon, with the help of his sons and J. T. Bowen, published a smaller octavo sized lithograph version, which were much more affordable.

With the success of his bird projects, Audubon then turned his attention to four-legged animals. He explored the Missouri River in 1843 sketching the four-legged animals he encountered in their natural setting. His expedition covered some of the same regions recently explored by Lewis and Clark, traveling from present day Alaska to Mexico. Audubon realized that this was an opportunity to document these animals in the still relatively pristine American wilderness, before man encroached on their environment.

Between 1845 and 1848, Audubon and his sons John Woodhouse Audubon and Victor Gifford Audubon produced a set of elephant folio sized lithographs that were primarily engraved and hand colored by J. T. Bowen in Philadelphia. The publication, which included text descriptions of the animals was published 3 years before Audubon died. As with the birds, this was followed by a three-volume set of 155 octavo-sized plates entitled “The Quadrupeds of North America” completed and published by Audubon’s sons, John, Jr. and Victor.

Audubon prints continue to be popular and a wise investment. The double elephant folio set “The Birds of America” have sold at auction for as much as $8.8 million, and individual plates may sell for six figures. The beautiful, but less well-known quadruped plates are not as expensive, but becoming more sought after, as the birds become unattainable to all but the very wealthy. See less