Audubon Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Princeton Audubon Double Elephant Edition

Description

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Princeton Audubon Double Elephant Edition of 1500.
26 1/4 x 39 1/4;
Condition: Mint
“Of all the full-size facsimiles of Audubon's prints, those from Princeton Audubon Ltd. come the closest in appearance and quality to the originals. Combining this with their very reasonable cost makes Princeton Audubon facsimiles winners for those looking to acquire some of the most dramatic American natural history images ever produced." -
Chris Lane, Philadelphia Print Shop West, appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.
Of our prints,
William Steiner, author of Audubon Prints: A Collector’s Guide To Every Edition
wrote, “True prints, true colors, incredible detail. Princetons are simply the finest Audubon facsimiles ever made!”
Princetons began with the purchase of the actual originals which were physically used in the production process. A giant camera with film the same size as the print took a direct-capture picture of the original, and this exact image was transferred directly to the metal printing plates. There are no other Audubon facsimiles which match the quality of Princeton prints.
Our prints have this embossed seal at the lower right of the paper ...
... and are pencil-numbered in the lower left under the printed script.
Printing specifications ...
Princeton Audubon Double Elephant Edition •Double elephant (life size - 26 1/4 x 39 1/4) •Limited edition of 1500. •Pencil-numbered and embossed with the Princeton Audubon Limited seal. •Up to 11 color plates used. •Specially developed fade-proof inks. Absolute color fidelity to the actual original. •Printed on a 300 line. •Very heavy archival paper which is recommended by the Library of Congress for archives and is specially toned to match the actual color of the antique originals. •Registered to purchaser. •As permanently displayed at The Royal Society of London, to which Audubon belonged as a Fellow.
About the image itself ...
These birds were probably painted in Louisiana c. 1825.
Hummingbirds, found only in the New World, fascinated Americans and Europeans of Audubon's day.  To gratify this widespread curiosity with a number of views of the diminutive ruby-throat, he placed ten of them together, although in nature they are too pugnacious to associate this closely.
He spoke glowingly of this bird of eastern North America:  "No sooner has the returned sun again introduced the vernal season, and caused millions of plants to expand their leaves and blossoms to the genial beams, than the little Hummingbird is seen advancing on fairy wings, carefully visiting every opening flower cup."  And Frank M. Chapman, in his Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America, wrote, "The Ruby-throat needs no song.  Its beauty gives it distinction, and its wings make music."