John James Audubon’s The Birds of America is a landmark of ornithological illustration.

Between 1827 and 1838, Audubon published 435 prints depicting birds at life size—from tiny hummingbirds to towering flamingos. The work was accompanied by five volumes of Ornithological Biography, featuring species descriptions and stories of America’s wild landscapes. Today, the collection is considered an exceptionally rare treasure.

Bright Bits