Description
Spizella pusilla
Flora: grass-pink, Calopogon tuberosus, and a blueberry, probably Vaccinium vacillans
Print size: 26 1/4" x 39 1/4"; image size: 11 1/2" x 18 1/2"
Princeton Audubon Limited Edition - produced 1985
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.
EHJ
Princeton Audubon prints are direct-camera facsimile lithographs of the Robert Havell Jr. (1793-1878) engravings for The Birds of America (1827-38). Princeton's Double elephant Folio prints are issued in limited editions of 500 or 1500 prints. All are numbered and have a seal in the bottom margin to demonstrate their authenticity.
Printed on heavy Mohawk paper that is recommended by the Library of Congress for archives, the paper is specially toned to match the average paper color of the antique originals.
Item Number:
1722
