What Happened Next?
• John and Lucy married and had two sons, Victor and John Woodhouse. John Woodhouse studied art and contributed to his father’s life work, Birds of America. He also collaborated with his father to produce a book of animal drawings entitled The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. (What do viviparous and quadruped mean? See What Does That Mean to find out.)
• John James Audubon pursued his dream of making a book of life-sized pictures of the birds of North America. He traveled all over America, collecting birds, drawing pictures, and making studies.
• In 1826, John traveled to England to find a publisher for his book, Birds of America. The first volume of the Birds of America appeared in 1827 and the last came out in 1838.
• Founded in 1905 to protect our natural environment, the National Audubon Society was named for John James Audubon, artist, naturalist and explorer.
• To learn more about the National Audubon Society write:
National Audubon Society
700 Broadway
New York, New York, 10003
Or visit the website at www.audubon.org
Fun Facts about John Audubon
• John Audubon was born Jean Jacques Fougère Audubon. He changed his name to John James Audubon when he traveled to America at the age of 18.
• Birds of America was published as a series of 435 prints of 497 species of birds. The first print in the book is the turkey vulture and the last print is the American dipper. The original book measured 2 by 3 feet.
• John Audubon was the first known user of “bird-banding.” He tied strings around the leg of a bird for identification and learned that it returned to the same nesting place each season.
• Born a French citizen, Audubon became a citizen of the United States when he was 21.
• John Audubon came to Pennsylvania to live on his father’s farm, Mill Grove, in 1803. Mill Grove still exists today and is open to the public.
• Early in Audubon’s career, he left drawings of nearly 1000 birds stored in a wooden box. Upon opening the box later, he discovered only bits of paper--rats had destroyed every one.
• The Audubon Museum, located in John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY, has the largest display of Audubon works and memorabilia in the United States.
When John Audubon Lived
Date | Event |
|---|
| 1785 | John Audubon was born in Haiti. There were 13 American states. |
| 1803 | John Audubon came to Pennsylvania and settled at Mill Grove. The United States bought the Louisiana Territory. |
| 1807–1820 | Audubon attempted several business ventures but was unsuccessful. The War of 1812 was fought, 1812-1815. |
| 1827–1838 | Audubon published his book, Birds of America, and lived in England. Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in 1835. |
| 1839 | Audubon returned to the United States. John D. Rockefeller was born. |
| 1851 | John Audubon died on January 27. Millard Fillmore was President of the United States. |
For more information and further reading about John Audubon, visit the Young Patriots Series website at www.patriapress.com
What Does That Mean?
trogon—brightly colored forest bird that lives in warm climates.
chaff—husks separated from grain
cupola—small tower on a roof
petite—French word meaning “small”
pinions—wings of a bird
lute—a musical instrument with strings
plumage—bird’s coat of feathers
spinet—a small, early form of the piano
taxidermist—person who stuffs the skins of animals to make them look lifelike.
russet—reddish brown
viviparous—producing living young that develop inside the body
quadruped—an animal with four feet used for walking