“Carolina Pigeon (Turtle Dove)”
This hand-colored watercolor, graphite, pastel, gouache, and ink on paper drawing is by the French American ornithological illustrator, John James Audubon. It was drawn in 1826-1827 for his opus, The Birds of America, dating to 1827-1839. This is plate number 17 depicting what was then called the “Carolina Pigeon” or “Turtle Dove” and is now called the “Mourning Dove“.
The scientific name of the Mourning Dove is Zenaida macroura. Audubon depicts the birds in several stages of life. The two birds at the top are engaged in a mating dance. The birds at the bottom are nesting. The female is laying on her eggs and being fed by her mate. Audubon placed the birds on Stewartia, a flowering Asian tree.
Audubon’s work revolutionized naturalist illustrations for the entire world. He was lauded for his detailed, true to life representations of birds, that were often engaged in primal survivalist activities, rather than the stiff poses of the traditional naturalist perspectives. Audubon’s process involved first studying the movements of the birds for hours beforehand, hunting the bird, pinning it to a board in a life-like position, then quickly sketching what he was to paint before the rigor mortis set in.
Audubon created life-size paintings of his birds. Afterwards, he would eat the bird and record information about its taste and texture. Each plate was accompanied by information about the behavioral patterns of the birds, their markings, a description of their eggs, where they were found, as well as a description of their tastes. Audubon also provided information regarding the foliage the birds were depicted with.
“Carolina Pigeon” is a print that was originally made to order, so there are several original versions still in existence. There is an original print in the collections of the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming in the United States, and others sold online.
For more on John James Audubon, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
