Air
The bright colors and beauty of birds and other flying fauna may be meant to attract mates or provide camouflage, but also draw in the attention of many artists and naturalists. Compilations of birds—such as John Audubon’s Birds of America or William Beebe’s A Monograph of the Pheasants (shown below)—focus as much on the beauty of our feathered friends as the accurate depictions of their habitats and other scenery. Many of the illustrations are exquisitely detailed, as artists capture the full effect of these winged creatures. Accordingly, these are some of our largest illustrations, with many featuring full page plates to show off the beauty of the birds, butterflies and other air creatures, and the skill of the artists depicting them.
Even less obvious animals that fly, such as moths and locusts, are depicted in great detail so as to showcase their own intricacies and beauty.
The wild turkey, though we’re accustomed to seeing it on sidewalks in greater Boston, is shown here in a rural landscape. The natural setting demonstrated the role of the turkey in the world of rural sports.
After a 17 month expedition, ornithologist William Beebe had such elaborate color artworks in his proposed four volume book of pheasants that no American publisher could produce it, and Beebe had to seek publication in London.
Woodpecker
Hummingbird
Fly
Alfred Noyes Papers, Box 110, MS2006-054
Robin and Bluebird
Doughty, The cabinet of natural history and American rural sports, with illustrations, 1973.
Pelican
