Audubon Prints – Elephant Portfolio
The original portfolio (Havell edition) of John James Audubon’s Birds of America was printed between 1827 and 1838 and contains 435 life-size prints of North American birds. The portfolio was reproduced from hand-engraved plates with watercolor added later by hand. Audubon sold subscriptions to his prints in editions of five. This included three small, one medium, and one large with each group. Collectors often bound these portfolios into books. All the prints, large and small, were printed on Double Elephant sized paper (approximately 28″ x 39″), which was the largest sheet available at the time.
The medium sized portfolio prints of the “Birds of America” are approximately half the size of a Double Elephant print size, or around 20″ x 28″.
View the large (Double Elephant) sized prints here
View the smaller sized prints here
Click on any image to see it larger.
