A HISTORIC PRINT PRODUCED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE MUSEUM OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

(Note: All Princeton fine art prints are archival, historic re-creations of actual originals)

About The Princeton Essex N-YHS Elephant Edition

Newly released from Princeton Audubon Limited is the Princeton Essex Elephant Edition.  Using our own originals and those from the New-York Historical Society, we are creating in approximate elephant folio size, or about 19 x 23 inches and 17 1/2 x 26 inches, an edition of astounding quality.  Louise Mirrer, Director of the New-York Historical Society says, "Princeton has faithfully reproduced the N-YHS original engravings in a collector's edition of stunning quality and brilliant color."  

This new offering is unlike any other Audubon reproductions available today.  Audubon originally reduced the size of his huge double elephant prints to a small 7 x 10 inches, commonly termed the Octavos. We, however,  have reproduced  these striking images to an intermediate size approximating the elephant paper used by Audubon for his later Imperial Quadrupeds. However it is not the size that makes this new edition unique, as there are many inexpensive posters with Audubon images on the market today. 

This edition is faithfully created directly from actual originals in our private collection, and from the originals in the collection of the New-York Historical Society. For example, the images of the Louisiana Heron and the Roseate Spoonbill were both professionally captured from the originals themselves, and then carefully matched during the production process against the actual originals in the collection of the New-York Historical Society to ensure absolute accuracy.  This unusual access to the nearly 170-year-old originals assures you of a most accurate reproduction.

Further, the specially-made fade-proof inks are pressed upon the absolute finest of all paper, 110# Essex.  Essex is a specially made 100% rag, coated paper designed for critical art reproduction.  It makes the ink "stand up" in order to faithfully capture the layered look and feel of Audubon's original production.  Essex is produced here in America, in New Hampshire, at Monadnock Paper Mills, the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the country.  So fine is the Essex paper that we have taken the unusual step of highlighting this fact in the name of our new edition.

However, there is more that makes this edition a classic.  First, these are true lithographs, produced on six or ten color presses.  Princetons are not less expensive laser, digital, or ink-jet images.  Secondly, we have retained the historic appearance of the actual antique originals.  Where plate marks were evident on Havell's sheets, we retained them.  Where the original binding holes are visible, we retained them as well in our reproductions.  In this way, we are hoping to interest a new generation to the Audubon originals, and perhaps encourage many more to experience the joy of Audubon collecting.