Mezzotint on paper from 1834 based on a miniature painting of 1831 by Frederick Cruickshank (1800-1878).
It was engraved by RobertTurner (1774-1857) and published by Robert Havell, Jr., as promotional material for The Birds of America. This copy bears Audubon’s personal wax seal, which has an outline of the male Wild Turkey (Audubon’s favorite bird, plate 1 of the Double Elephant Folio) and the words “America, My Country.”
This was Audubon’s favorite portrait of himself, of seven authentic versions that survive. This portrait, without the seal, was described by a specialist as rare in 1917. A copy with the seal, comparable to an autograph signature, seems to be almost unknown. A copy sans seal is featured on the first page of the internet site of the Stark Museum of Art, Orange, Texas, which has a major Audubon collection.
