John James Audubon, a renowned naturalist and painter, was raised in France and first came to America in 1803. As a child, he expressed a strong interest in ornithology and began to draw birds shortly after his arrival. Audubon is particularly noted for his command of watercolor, a medium he elected to work in to execute bird studies after meeting an illustrator for American Ornithology in 1810. He travelled extensively in an effort to compile a series of engravings depicting North American birds. He was unsuccessful in attracting patrons or a publisher for his folio in America, and so in 1826 he sought for and found a willing publisher in England. The Birds of America was published in sets of five engravings and issued five times a year. The project was completed in 1838 under the supervision of Audubon’s son, as the artist had returned to America in 1829 to resume work on his watercolors. A new undertaking of works, entitled The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, commenced in 1840. Due to failing health, Audubon retired in 1846 and the remaining work was left to his sons. He passed away in New York in 1851.