James John Audubon (1783–1851), one of the pioneers of American ornithology is one of the best-known American naturalists and painters of the 19th century.
Audubon's work represented a radical departure from the stilted bird paintings of the day. His birds, pictured in action, were vivid and dramatic, drawn not from museum specimens but from his own observation of birds in the wild.
Although critics have cited his lack of scientific knowledge and his sometimes contrived and overly dramatic poses, Audubon's importance and influence on later generations of ornithologists and bird painters cannot be denied, and his Birds of America, published serially beginning in 1827, is probably the most famous collection of bird prints in the world.
For this collection, V. Ann Waterman has used plates from the octavo edition of Birds of America to create four outstanding giftwrap papers.
