“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 and was drawn in 1826-1827. It is plate number 17 from his opus, The Birds of America, dating to 1827-1839, depicting what was then called the “Carolina Pigeon” or “Turtle Dove” and is now called the “Mourning Dove“.
The scientific name is Zenaida macroura. 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 illustration the world over 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, as seen in “Carolina Pigeon” here. His technique involved hunting the bird, pinning the bird to a board in a life-like position (he studied their movements for hours beforehand), then quickly sketching in what he was to paint before rigor mortis set in.
His paintings were life-size drawings of the birds. Afterwards, he would eat the bird and record the information of its taste and texture. The behavioral patterns of the birds, their markings, a description of their eggs, where they are found, as well as a description of their taste accompanies each plate. Audubon also gives some information regarding the particular foliage the birds are drawn with.
As “Carolina Pigeon” is a print that was originally made to order, there are several original versions still in existence. There is one in the collections of the Whitney Western Art Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming and others being sold online.
For more on John James Audubon, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
