Audubon, John James

Carolina Parrot

John James Audubon, original name Fougère Rabin or Jean Rabin, baptismal name Jean-Jacques Fougère Audubon, (born April 26, 1785, Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue, West Indies [now in Haiti]—died January 27, 1851, New York, New York, U.S.), ornithologist, artist, and naturalist who became particularly well known for his drawings and paintings of North American birds. Audubon’s name is associated with a number of bird-related organizations, including the National Audubon Society; however, his personal history as an enslaver, white supremacist, and critic of emancipation has made him a controversial figure in American history.

John James Audubon

John James Audubon

The illegitimate son of a French merchant, planter, and slave trader and a Creole woman of Saint-Domingue, Audubon and his illegitimate half sister (who was also born in the West Indies) were legalized by adoption in 1794, five years after their father returned to France. Young Audubon developed an interest in drawing birds during his boyhood in France. At age 18 he was sent to the United States in order to avoid conscription and to enter business. He began his study of North American birds at that time; this study would eventually lead him from Florida to Labrador, Canada. With Frederick Rozier, Audubon attempted to operate a mine and then a general store. The latter venture they attempted first in Louisville, Kentucky, and later in Henderson, Kentucky, but the partnership was dissolved after they failed utterly. Audubon then attempted some business ventures in partnership with his brother-in-law; these too failed. By 1820 he had begun to take what jobs he could to provide a living and to concentrate on his steadily growing interest in drawing birds; he worked for a time as a taxidermist and later made portraits and taught drawing, and his wife worked as a governess.