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Since Adirondack Retro acquired Darvill's Rare Prints in August of 2022, we have been working tirelessly on our New State-Of-The Art Website. We are excited to announce that it is now up and running and that our massive inventory of Antique Prints and Rare Maps are being transferred over to the new site daily. In addition to the nearly 500,000 prints found on www.DarvillsRarePrints.com, Adirondack Retro offers an eclectic selection of Antique and Vintage Advertisements along with their Limited Edition Giclee Prints. During this transition, customers will still be able to shop and make purchases on www.DarvillsRarePrints.com.

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audubon

John James Audubon, perhaps the most famous of American ornithologists, is undeservedly less well known for his wonderful work depicting The Quadrupeds of North America. With the success of his Birds of America, Audubon was inspired to do the same sort of work on the animals, with the assistance of his son, John Woodhouse Audubon. This resulted in the publication of the folio edition of The Viviparous Quadrupedsof North America, illustrating 150 species. As with the work on ornithology, this volume was later issued in octavo size, making it accessible to the general public.

John James Audubon (1785-1851)

Audubon was born in Haiti, the illegitimate son of a successful merchant, planter, and slave dealer. He was taken to France at the age of four and educated among the well-to-do. At 15 he was drawing French birds, and at 17 studied drawing with the famous Neo-classical artist, Jacques Louis David, in Paris. In 1803, Audubon was in Pennsylvania managing his father's estate where he began his ventures into ornithology. In 1820, he made his goal the publication of an anthology of life drawings. He traveled the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes, exploring for birds. Unable to find a publisher in America he traveled to London in 1826-27 where William Lizars and Robert Havell, Jr. were his engravers. In 1831, Audubon returned to the United States. In 1843, Audubon took the steamer, Omega, from St. Louis up the Missouri River to Fort Union and then overland to the Yellowstone River, making stops in Nebraska in May of 1843 and again in October on his return trip downstream. Along the way, he saw birds and animals where Catlin had seen Indians. Audubon had already become well known for his Birds of America when he came to Nebraska on this 1843 trip. His new dream, though, was to do a series on American mammals. The purpose of the trip was to gather specimens for painting but his journals do not specifically record any subjects he saw in Nebraska except for once mentioning his amazement at a jack rabbit. He returned to St. Louis in Indian hunting dress with live deer, badgers, and foxes. He completed the Quadrupeds of North America in 1845 with the help of his sons, John W. and Victor.

Audubon octavo prints are hand-colored stone lithographs taken from one of the octavo-sized editions of Audubon's work.  These books are about the size of a modern hardcover novel, but the plates vary slightly in size from set to set. The octavo editions of The Quadrupeds of North America were produced by Audubon's sons, John Woodhouse Audubon (the artist responsible for about half the animal images in the series) and Victor Gifford Audubon (who provided many of the beautiful backgrounds).  Virtually all plates from all editions include a printed background (called a tint).  Usually beige or aqua, the tint usually includes an indication of clouds.  Other than this printed background, all prints are entirely hand-colored.

Unlike the octavo bird first edition prints, there is no way to identify edition with certainty once a print is separated from the volume in which it was bound.  Most dealers therefore offer octavo quadruped prints without naming the specific edition.

Prints from John James Audubon and the Reverend John Bachman's The Quadrupeds of North America. New York: V.G. Audubon, 1849.
First edition. Royal octavo (approx. 10½ x 7 inches). Lithographs, printed with color and finished by hand. Full margins.

Very good condition, except as noted.

To see a complete index of the 150 species, please click here.
The available plates from Darvill's Rare Prints are shown below.

John James Audubon, perhaps the most famous of American ornithologists, is undeservedly less well known for his wonderful work depicting The Quadrupeds of North America. With the success of his Birds of America, Audubon was inspired to do the same sort of work on the animals, with the assistance of his son, John Woodhouse Audubon. This resulted in the publication of the folio edition of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, illustrating 150 species. As with the work on ornithology, this volume was later issued in octavo size, making it accessible to the general public.

Carolina Gray Squirrel
Carolina Grey Squirrel

Pl. 7

minor foxing



Northern Hare XI
Northern Hare

Pl. 11

minor foxing



Black Squirrel
Black Squirrel

Pl. 34


(matted)

Raccoon
Raccoon

Pl. 61



Prairie Wolf
Prairie Wolf

Pl. 71



Carolina Shrew
Carolina Shrew

Pl. 75


Leconte's Pine Mouse
Leconte's Pine Mouse

Pl. 80


Prairie Wolf
Red Texan Wolf

Pl. 82



Lewis' Marmot
Lewis' Marmot

Pl. 107



Bachman's Hare
Bachman's Hare
Pl. 108



Mexican Marmot Squirrel
Mexican Marmot Squirrel

Pl. 109


Mole-shaped Pouch Rat
Mole-shaped Pouch Rat

Pl. 110



Tawny and Beck's Lemmings
Tawny Lemming, Beck's Lemming

Pl. 120


Lewis' Marmot (matted)
American Black or Silver Fox

Pl. 116



Dusky Squirrel
Dusky Squirrel

Pl. 117


Long-tailed Deer
Long-tailed Deer

Pl. 118

Cinnamon Bear
Cinnamon Bear

Pl. 127



The Sewellel
The Sewellel

Pl. 123


Large-Tailed Spermophile
Large-Tailed Spermophile

Pl. 139


The Camas Rat (Gopher)
The Camas Rat (Gopher)

Pl. 142



Townsend's Arvicola, etc.
Townsend's Arvicola, Sharp-nosed Arvicola,
Bank Rat

Pl. 144


Southern Pouched Rat, etc.
Southern Pouched Rat, Dekay's Shrew,
Long-Nosed Shrew, Silvery Shrew Mole

Pl. 150



Crab-Eating Raccoon
Crab-Eating Raccoon

Pl. 155



We have a large selection of original hand-colored lithographs from Audubon's first royal octavo edition of The Birds of America

All images are copyrighted by Darvill's Rare Prints. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited by international copyright law. Please contact us for usage permission or to purchase digital images. Thank you.