Audubon’s "Birds of America" – Bien Edition, 1860

The Bien edition prints of the Birds of America, just like the Havell editions, were produced by the Audubon family, and thus are originals. Unlike the Havell edition prints which were produced in England, the Bien Edition prints were produced completely in America. Thus, they are truly American originals. In 1858, about seven years after John James Audubon passed away, his younger son John Woodhouse Audubon initiated an ambitious project to reissue the Birds of America to solve some of the mounting financial problems. He recruited the Roe Lockwood Company in New York city to publish the works and Julius Bien for lithography. Unlike the Havells which were produced from copper engraving plates, Julius Bien utilized the newly emerging chromolithography process as a way of reducing the costs of production. Chromolithography utilized different sets of printing stones to produce a given plate, some with different colors to produce the final colored image. The use of different stones occasionally resulted in very slight misregister of colors on the dark outlines of birds and background, thus serving as a charming reminder of chromolithography process. Larger images were printed on a single page as in the Havell edition, whereas smaller images were printed two per page. All the larger images as well as some smaller images carry the credit "Chromolithy by J. Bien, New York, 1860". Thus these images are commonly referred to as the Bien edition plates. Unfortunately, the start of the Civil War in 1860 brought an abrupt end to this project (and a financial ruin to the Audubon family) after only about 105 pages were printed. It was said that about 100 copies of each page (with bird images) were produced, but most of them did not survive. The few that have survived the ravages of time, such as the ones shown on this page, are thus indeed truly rare-to-find, truly American made, and truly Audubon originals.  

Please call 908  510-1621 or email for purchasing options.

Bien American Flamingo  $25,000    SOLD

 We offer for sale a full sheet (26”x39”), double elephant folio, American Flamingo in excellent condition.  The paper has been neutralized and the print cleaned (Dec. 2011).  The color is bright and there are no losses or mars on the print.  The paper fiber is in excellent condition.

Price $25,000.  SOLD

Yellow-crowned Heron, No 15-2, Plate 364, Chromolithy by J. Bien, New York, 1860

Full margins, sheet size 39 7/8 x 26 3/4in, binding edge on the left side. A one inch repair at the upper left white border edge. Audubon painted these beautiful adult and juvenile herons against a sunset background in 1831 in Charleston, SC (Low).

$12,750

Virginia partridge.   Said to be one of the most dramatic of all Audubon originals.  The Bien edition is rarer than the Havell edition.  SOLD

White-headed Pigeon, No 8-5 Plate 280  Chromolithy by J. Bien New York 1860

Description:  A rather beautiful image by Audubon showing the male and female White-crowned pigeon couple in a tender domestic moment. Audubon painted these birds perched on the branch of a Geiger tree in Indian Key, Florida in 1832 (Low).  Sheet size  32 5/8" X  26 3/8" (slightly trimmed). Binder marks along the left edge with a few marginal tears. Occasional 1/2" tears along the remaining edges.  Image in excellent condition with very nice chromolithy colors on the birds, the leaves and the flowers.  $4,975 

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