John Audubon was the son of a French Naval Captain and a French girl who worked for Captain Audubon. Audubon's mother died within a short time after his birth so Audubon's father took him back to France as a young child where he was adopted by Captain Audubon and his legal wife.
As a teenager, Captain Audubon sent his son to manage his plantation near Philadelphia. It was here that Audubon met and married his wife, Lucy. During his early married years he was unsuccessful in business and attained fame as an artist only after many troubled years. Audubon succeeded only because he went to England where his work was appreciated and subscribers made possible the long publication of his 435 prints.
After being successful with the birds, Audubon turned to another subject and undertook to publish the animals of America. Few men of his age enjoyed the travels of Audubon. He spent days and weeks in the woods studying birds and animals; and his spectacular drawings were scenes he actually witnessed. He traveled to Paris to sell his book and never accepted an offer for a single print, always insisting that the book be sold intact. This is one reason his prints are so rare today.
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