Ivory Gull
Medium
hand-colored engraving and aquatint on Whatman wove paper
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
Accession Number
1945.8.287
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Ivory Gull* (1836), a stunning hand-colored engraving and aquint by Robert Havell faithfully reproducing John James Audubon's original watercolor from his epic *Birds of America This print captures the elegant Arctic seabird perched dramatically amid icy cliffs, showcasing Audubon's revolutionary approach to natural history illustration. Published during the height of 19th-century ornithological fervor, it hails from the lavish double-elephant folio edition (1827–1838), the largest bird book ever produced, with life-size depictions that blended scientific precision with artistic fl...
About the Artist
Robert Havell after John James Audubon
Robert Havell Jr., born on November 25, 1793, in Reading, Berkshire, England, was the son of renowned engraver and publisher Robert Havell Sr. and Lydia Miller Phillips. Growing up in a family of artists that included notable engravers and etchers, he trained under his father, mastering aquatint techniques early on. Though briefly estranged from the family business, Havell reconciled with his fath...