Audubon Birds of America Print (Havell Edition, Double Elephant Folio)

Audubon Birds of America Print (Havell Edition, Double Elephant Folio)

John James Audubon's The Birds of America is routinely described as the most expensive printed book in the world. A complete four-volume set in the original Havell edition sold at Sotheby's in 2010 for $11.5 million, setting the record for a printed book at auction. But most people who encounter Audubon prints are not dealing with complete bound sets: they are looking at individual plates removed from sets that were disbound long ago, and those individual prints occupy their own vibrant and complex market. Understanding what you have, how to authenticate it, and what it might be worth requires working through a set of very specific questions about paper, printing technique, and physical dimensions.

John James Audubon: The Man and the Mission

John James Audubon (1785-1851) was born in what is now Haiti, the illegitimate son of a French naval officer and a Creole woman. Raised in France and then emigrated to the United States, he became obsessed with documenting the birds of North America in life-size images that captured both the physical accuracy of a scientist and the visual drama of an accomplished artist. His method involved studying and shooting live specimens, then posing them with wires and props to create compositions that showed birds in characteristic poses and natural settings.

Audubon spent years traveling through the American wilderness, accumulating drawings, before sailing to England in 1826 to find a publisher willing to take on his ambitious project. He found his man in Robert Havell Jr., a London engraver who became the primary craftsman for the entire double elephant folio edition. The project ran from 1827 to 1838, producing 435 hand-colored aquatint and engraving plates across four volumes. Subscribers paid by the fascicle (groups of five plates) as they were issued, and the finished work was available to those who could afford the considerable subscription price.

What "Double Elephant Folio" Actually Means

The phrase "double elephant" is a printer's term for the largest paper size commonly available in the early 19th century. For the Havell edition Audubon prints, this means sheets measuring approximately 39.5 inches by 26.5 inches (roughly 100 by 67 centimeters). The large format was essential to Audubon's vision: every bird in the 435 plates is depicted life-size. A Great Blue Heron, a Whooping Crane, an American Flamingo all appear at their actual physical dimensions, which required paper of this extraordinary scale to accommodate.

The paper used for the Havell edition was made by the firm of J. Whatman, one of the most respected paper manufacturers in England. The Whatman name appears in the paper as a watermark, visible when the sheet is held up to transmitted light. The presence of a "J WHATMAN" watermark (sometimes accompanied by a year) is one of the primary authentication indicators for genuine Havell edition prints.

The Printing Process: Aquatint and Engraving

The Havell edition prints were produced using a combination of etching and aquatint, then hand-colored by a team of colorists working in Havell's London workshop. This production method gives the prints their distinctive character:

Engraving/Etching: The metal plates were worked with etching needles and engraving tools to establish the linear structure of each image, including the outlines of birds, the foliage, and the lettered text at the bottom of each plate.

Aquatint: This additional technique created tonal areas and atmospheric backgrounds by etching a resin-coated plate with acid. The resulting texture holds ink in a way that produces the soft tonal gradations visible in the backgrounds and some shadow areas of Havell prints.

Hand coloring: After printing, each sheet was hand-colored using watercolor and gouache. The quality and consistency of this hand coloring varied somewhat across the production run, and individual plates within a set could be colored by different hands. Generally, coloring from earlier in the production run (first half of the 1827-1838 period) is considered particularly fine.

Platemark: Because the image was printed from an intaglio (recessed) metal plate, there is a visible platemark, a slight indentation in the paper where the plate edge pressed into the sheet during printing. The presence of a platemark is an important authentication indicator. Lithographic reproductions, later photographic facsimiles, and modern giclée prints do not have genuine platemarks.

Authentication: How to Tell Original from Reproduction

The Audubon prints have been reproduced so extensively and in so many ways over the past 180 years that authentication requires careful examination of several physical characteristics:

Paper size and quality: A complete Havell print on its original uncut sheet should measure approximately 39.5 by 26.5 inches. Many prints have been trimmed, sometimes significantly, which affects value and makes watermark verification more difficult.

Watermark: Hold the paper up to bright transmitted light (from a light box or a window) and look for the "J WHATMAN" watermark. Some sheets include a year alongside the Whatman name. The watermark is impressed into the paper during its manufacture and cannot be added to a modern reproduction. However, some sheets have been trimmed to remove the watermark, so absence is not definitive.

Platemark: Run a finger carefully around the image area to feel for the platemark, the subtle raised ridge or depression where the printing plate edge met the paper. A genuine intaglio print has a platemark; lithographic and photographic reproductions do not.

Paper character: 19th century laid paper made by J. Whatman has a specific texture and appearance distinct from modern machine-made paper. When examined closely or held to light, you can see the laid lines (closely spaced parallel lines from the paper mold) and chain lines (less frequent, perpendicular lines). The paper should also show the natural aging that over 150 years produces: a creamy or light brown tone rather than bright white.

Text at bottom: Each Havell plate has a specific text caption at the bottom identifying the bird species, with credit to "Drawn from Nature by J.J. Audubon" and "Engraved, Printed & Coloured by R. Havell, London" or a variant of this credit. The specific text for each plate is documented in reference works including Susanne Low's "A Guide to Audubon's Birds of America," which is the essential reference for this verification. Any deviation from documented text is a red flag.

Common reproductions to know about:

• Bien Edition (1858-1860): A later authorized American chromolithographic edition, also on double elephant folio paper, but printed by Julius Bien in New York without the J Whatman watermark and with "Bien" credited at lower right. Not as valuable as Havell but genuine 19th century prints.

• Abbeville Press facsimiles: 20th century reproductions with "Audubon Society, Abbeville Press" watermark in italic script. These are modern reproductions with no collector value as originals.

• Modern giclée prints: Digital reproductions on high-quality paper, no platemark, no authentic watermark.

Value by Subject and Condition

The 435 plates of the Havell edition are not equally valuable. Several factors drive differential pricing:

Subject popularity: Charismatic large birds, particularly raptors and waterfowl, typically command the highest prices. The Bald Eagle, Wild Turkey, American Flamingo, and Whooping Crane plates are consistently among the most sought after. Common songbirds and smaller species at the lower end of collector interest may sell for a few hundred dollars in good condition; the most desirable subjects can reach tens of thousands.

Condition: Paper condition, coloring quality, and whether the sheet is complete or has been trimmed all significantly affect value.

A typical mid-range subject plate (smaller birds, less dramatic compositions) in good condition with the watermark present might sell for $1,500 to $5,000. The most popular large bird subjects in excellent condition can reach $20,000 to $50,000 or more. Plates from complete or near-complete sets command further premiums.

Working with an Audubon Print

If you believe you have a genuine Havell edition print, the pathway to establishing and realizing its value involves working with specialists. Major auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, and Swann Galleries all handle Audubon prints regularly. Specialized dealers including Audubon Galleries and others who focus on natural history prints can provide expert assessment.

Before approaching any specialist, photograph both sides of the print at high resolution, document its current dimensions, and if possible photograph the watermark held up to transmitted light. This information will allow initial assessment without shipping a potentially valuable and fragile object.

The condition of the paper and the brightness of the hand coloring are the two most visible variables that collectors focus on when evaluating specific prints. Bright, clean coloring with full margins and the watermark intact represents the ideal; any deviation from that standard should be documented honestly and factored into realistic value expectations.

Framing and Conservation Considerations

Many Audubon prints that come to market have been framed at some point in their history, and the framing practices of different eras have affected condition in different ways. Victorian and early 20th century framing often placed prints in direct contact with acidic backboard materials, causing browning and foxing along the edges. Later 20th century framing sometimes involved trimming the sheet to fit a specific frame size, permanently reducing dimensions and often removing the watermark.

If you own or acquire an Audubon print in a frame, having it examined by a professional paper conservator before disturbing the framing is advisable. A conservator can assess what is happening to the paper in its current housing, identify any active deterioration, and recommend appropriate storage or reframing using archival-quality materials.

Ideal storage for an unframed Audubon print involves flat housing in acid-free folders or matted between conservation-quality boards, stored horizontally in a stable temperature and humidity environment. Avoid attics, basements, and exterior walls, where humidity and temperature fluctuations are greatest. Light fades the hand coloring over time, so any displayed print should be behind UV-filtering glass or acrylic.

Provenance and the Secondary Market

One aspect of Audubon print collecting that adds complexity is provenance: understanding where a specific print came from and what has happened to it over the nearly two centuries since the Havell edition was published. Many prints were removed from bound sets in the 19th and early 20th centuries, sometimes by subscribers who wanted to frame individual plates, sometimes by dealers who recognized that individual plates could be sold more profitably than complete sets. This practice was common enough that more complete sets have been disbound over time than remain intact today.

When a print comes with documented provenance, whether from a recognized collection, a family with continuous ownership, or records of previous sale at major auction houses, that documentation adds confidence and value. Prints that appear from unknown sources without any history require more careful authentication, not because unknown provenance necessarily indicates a problem, but because the absence of history makes complete due diligence more important.

The long-term market for Havell edition Audubon prints has been remarkably stable. These prints occupy a genuine crossover position between natural history illustration, American art history, and scientific documentation. Their appeal spans multiple collecting communities: bird enthusiasts, American history collectors, natural history print specialists, and decorative arts buyers all form part of the market. This broad base of collector interest provides resilience that more specialized categories sometimes lack.

A genuine Havell edition Audubon print is a direct physical product of one of the most ambitious artistic and scientific projects ever undertaken in North America, created using 19th century hand craftsmanship that cannot be replicated and on paper that has survived nearly two centuries. Whatever its specific subject and condition, that context gives it a significance that extends beyond its monetary value.

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