“Great Blue Heron” is one of 435 highly dramatic, keenly detailed bird pictures by John Audubon (1785 – 1851), an artist, naturalist and scientist whose name is synonymous with the bird print. America’s dominant wildlife artist for half a century, Audubon’s childhood fascination with birds extended into his adulthood, when he spent days and weeks on the frontier, amassing an enormous portfolio of life-size bird drawings which remains the standard against which all bird artists are still measured. Reflecting his deep love of birds and his concern for conservation, the Audubon Society was established after his death in the late 1800s.

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