21 / 252
19
britannica - americana
AUDUBON JOHN JAMES
(1785-1851).
American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter.
Autograph MANUSCRIPT of the episode entitled
The Lost
Portfolio
from his renowned
Ornithological Biography
with a few autograph revisions, [1830], 2 and a half pages,
in English. Dimensions: 416 x 260 mm. cloth articulated box
smooth green morocco spine, gilt lettering.
4 000 / 5 000 €
An extraordinary manuscript of a chapter of Audubon’s great work,
included in his
Ornithological Biography, or an account of the habits
of the birds of the United States of America ; accompanied by
descriptions of the objects represented in the work entitled The Birds
of America, and interspersed with delineations of American scenery
and manners
(Edinburgh, Adam & Charles Black, 1835, constituting
pages 564-567 of Volume III, with some variants). When Audubon
wrote the
Ornithological Biography
, it underwent intense competition
with three other bird books being produced at the same time. The
ornithologist expected his “Episodes” would make the difference and
mark his success.
In this “episode”, Audubon recounts the loss of one of his portfolios
and its subsequent recovery.
« Whilst at the City of Natchez on the 31s Inst[ant] of Dec[embe]r 1820,
my kind friend and relative N[icholas] Berthoud Esqr. proposed to
me to accompany him in his Keel Boat to New Orleans, and I gladly
accepted his offer. At one o’clock the steam boat Columbus hauled
off from the Landing and took our bark in tow being secured to her
by two ropes attached to our bows. The steamer was soon under
full head way and little else than the thought of soon reaching the
Mississippi’s Emporium of Commerce filled our minds. Toward evening
however several enquiries were made respecting particular portions of
the Luggage amongst which was to have been, one of my Portfolios,
which contained a number of Drawings made whilst gliding down on
the Rivers Ohio and Mississippi from Cincinnati, to Natchez, and some
of which were very valuable to my collection as being very raw, and
some indeed hitherto unfigured and perhaps undescribed species.
The Port Folio was not found on board, and I recollect, sadly too
late, that I had brought it under my arm to the margin of the stream
and there had left it to the care of one of my Friend’s servants, who
in the hurry of our departure had neglected to take it on Board.
Besides the Drawings of Birds there was a sketch in black chalk in
this collection to which I always felt greatly attached whilst absent
from home, but alas now I was set to the mere recollection of the
features of the objects from whence my Life’s happiness as a man
has been rendered interestingly happy.»
provenance
Sale Christie’s New York 26 May 1977, lot 91; Sale Christie’s New York,
18 November 1988, lot 20; Profiles in History, 18 December 2012, lot 132.
Digitized version of the published text:
https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/103782#page/584/mode/1up.