John James Audubon and Audubon family letters
name: label: Creator
content: Audubon, John James, 1785-1851
topic: label: Occupation
content: Ornithologists -- United States
label: Occupation
content: Illustrators -- United States
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- United States
label: Topic
content: Art, American -- United States
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Lent for microfilming, 1955, by the American Philosophical Society.
creator: label: Creator
content: Audubon, John James, 1785-1851
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: John James Audubon (1785-1851) was an ornithologist, naturalist, painter, and illustrator born in Haiti to a French plantation owner. His work, The Birds of America was originally published as a four-volume elephant folio with 435 hand-colored plates of life-size depictions of individual bird species. The accompanying text was published separately in five volumes as Ornithological Biography.  

Audubon married educator and philanthropist Lucy Bakewell (1787-1874). Bakewell supported the family financially while Audubon worked on The Birds of America. 

Audubon's sons Victor Gifford and John Woodhouse Audubon were also artists and assisted their father with the business of publishing his work.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2 Microfilm reels (200 items on 2 partial microfilm reels)
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1783-1845
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.audujohn
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Microfilm reels
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: 35mm microfilm reels P34 (fr. 239-439) and P35 (fr. 1-38) available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
originalsloc: label: Existence and Location of Originals
content: Originals in the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The microfilmed John James Audubon and Audubon family letters contain letters from John James Audubon to his wife, Lucy, and his son Victor. Letters refer to personal affairs, ornithology, and publications. Also included is a fragment of Audubon's journal from New Orleans, 1821.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: The Archives of American Art also holds the microfilmed letters to Samuel G. Morton from Victor and John James Audubon, 1836-1840, and the microfilmed Victor Audubon letters to John L. Le Conte, 1852.  

Harvard University Houghton Library holds the John James Audubon papers, 1813-1880 and the John James Audubon letters and drawings, 1805-1892. The American Philosophical Society holds the John James Audubon Papers, 1821-1845. Tulane University Special Collections holds the John James Audubon papers, 1807-1927. Princeton University Library Special Collections holds the John James Audubon Collection, 1788-1970. The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts Division holds the John James Audubon correspondence, 1827-1857. Yale University Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library holds the Victor Gifford Audubon collection, 1845-1859.