Browse this collection

John Audubon published many scientific works in his lifetime, but two are world-renowned for their artistic as well as scientific merit: The Birds of America from Original Drawings (often referred as the "double-elephant folio"; published between 1827 and 1838 in London by Robert Havell Jr.; first work purchased for the University of Michigan Library in 1839) and The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (often referred to as the "imperial folio"; published between 1845 and 1848 in Philadelphia by J.T. Bowen; purchased jointly by the Special Collections Research Center and the William L. Clements Library in 2014). These Plate volumes are respectively intaglio and lithographic prints, both exquisitely handcolored.

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be under copyright. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission.

Kindly provide attribution to the University of Michigan Special Collections Research Center for these images and where the original materials are held.

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.