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HISTORICAL NOTE:
Between 1827 and 1838,
John James Audubon, brilliant artist and naturalist, published in London,
England, in his own style, a series of 435 large-sized, hand-colored
etchings with aquatints in a folio entitled The Birds of America.
These were reproduced primarily by Robert Havell and Sons from Audubon’s
watercolor studies that he had
earlier composed during his several journeys throughout the young United
States. Looking back, Audubon wrote ...
"Having studied drawing for a
short while in my youth under good masters, I felt a great desire to make
choice of a style more particularly adapted to the imitation of feathers
than the drawings in water colours that I had been in the habit of seeing,
and moreover, to complete a collection not only valuable to the scientific
class, but pleasing to every person, by adopting a different course of
representation from the mere profile-like cut figures, given usually in
works of that kind."
Since he portrayed each bird life size, the
larger birds often had to be drawn in unusual positions to
later fit on the
largest copper engraving plates then available, approximately 27 x 39
inches. These copperplates were large, thin, smooth
plates of copper. A reverse image or outline of the bird was engraved
into the plate, More ...
HISTORY IS IN
THE MAKING:
How Princetons were
made
 Princetons were
produced using film the SAME SIZE as the print. Click
the thumbnail you see here to compare the original print with its
film. This process prevented loss of detail from film reductions or enlargements. Most
other editions (Amsterdam, Abbeville) copied a small photograph, making them
in actuality copies of
photographs.
Beyond
reproductions, the historic
Princeton Audubon Double Elephant Prints are the world's
only
first-generation facsimile re-creations of the actual
antique originals, simply the finest and most accurate Audubon
re-creations ever accomplished. First-generation means that the
image generated and pressed into the paper is only one step
(first) away from the original, with no additional generations
that cause distortions to the final image. Our process required
the purchase of the actual originals in order to accurately
transfer all their glorious detail and color.
 Click
the small image you see here to get an idea of the detail in a
Princeton print. Unframed and measuring more than two feet by
three feet, these impressive, sealed, pencil-numbered, limited
edition (500 or 1500) images were printed with the finest inks on
heavy sheets of acid-free paper that is stressed for 300 years and
recommended by the Library of Congress for archives. Additionally,
this finest of all paper was specially toned to match the average
color of the antique originals. Truly fine art prints, Princetons
set the standard in Audubon facsimile art.
Rarely
marketed until 2002, these prints are now near to being sold out.
Thirty-six images to choose from, including the American Flamingo,
the White Pelican, the Pileated Woodpecker, the Blue
Crane, the Purple Heron, the Carolina Parrot, and the
Brown Pelican. View all Princeton prints by selecting from our
THUMBNAIL GALLERY.
Special offer:
Take Two! Choose any two Princeton Double
Elephants (Not including the White Pelican, Pileated Woodpecker, or
American Flamingo) for $850.
Use this link
and enter your two choices in the message box at checkout.
 Pelican
Watch: 471 sold from an edition of only 500.
The Princeton Audubon American White Pelican.
Award-winning. Exceptional detail. Commanding presence. Click
the image to see greater detail.
Click here to see the entire image. Please
note: The price will be increased to $800 once the 475th print is sold.
Current price is
$750
"What a wonderful bird is the pelican-Its beak can
hold more than its belly can,..."
PURCHASING:
You may purchase our prints right here from this
website, by phone at 908-510-1621, through the New York Times at
www.nytstore.com ,
The New-York Historical Society on Central Park West, The Audubon House & Gallery in Key
West, FL (just steps from the cruise ship docks), The Taylor Clark Gallery in Baton Rouge, LA, and in other
fine galleries. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Amex and also
payments through PayPal
FRAMING:
We sell our prints unframed. Most
folks bring their prints to their local framer. We suggest you
tell them to frame them according to archival standards. However,
we can frame them for you as well, as we have contracted with a
Florida gallery
to deal directly with you. They will send you digital images
of how your print will look, and walk you through every step of the
framing process. This of course adds shipping charges to your
order (and we cannot accept return of framed prints) but you can be
assured of the absolutely finest framing work offered today.
Interested? Please call Ed at 908-510-1621.
SHIPPING:
We generally ship our unframed prints the day following your order, so
you can expect to receive your order within one week. Framing will
add three to four weeks to your delivery date. If you provide an email
address, we will have FedEx send you the tracking number.
We often ship our unframed
prints rolled in a very strong art mailer. This is the safest way to
ship fine art. However, we will ship prints flat upon the customer's
request. Simply let us know your wish in the message box at checkout.
Knowing
which Audubon print to invest in is not easy, as there are many
editions to choose from. We always encourage that you purchase a print
because of the beauty, not only the quality. However, if you are purchasing
Audubon prints as an investment, may we offer the following considerations?
First, most Audubon
double elephant originals have either stayed the same value or slightly increased despite
our current economy. The larger the image, the larger the increase in
value. Generally, any Audubon double elephant original that ends in the
plate number 1 or 6 has been a fine investment, such as the Flamingo (421) or
the White Pelican (311). These are the larger images. Audubon released his
originals to subscribers in groups of five, and the first plate in each
group always ended in a 1 or 6, and was generally a larger bird or
composition.
As they say, ‘They don’t
make them anymore!’ Only about 200 of each image was produced by Audubon,
and most are in museums or university collections today.
Thus, the safest Audubon print investment is in an original. Of
course, we cannot guarantee that any print will increase in value in today's
market, but Audubon prints (originals) will always be rare, and will no
doubt become harder to find.
The
smaller octavo originals are more numerous, with perhaps a few thousand of
each image produced, and may even hold in value, but we would not expect
them to increase
significantly.
Regarding reproductions, you probably have seen many giclee editions
throughout the internet. These are ink-jet editions which are easier and
less expensive to produce. Publishers generally
call these investment editions and promote them as such in their literature.
However, the prices seem to be set without any
relationship to cost, with many images priced into the thousands. We have
already noted that as these editions (which are easier
and less expensive to produce) flood the market,
some producers have already
lowered their prices. So we would not encourage
viewing any giclee edition
as an investment. None-the-less, the four giclees which are offered on our
website are produced by Rare-Prints and are the lowest in cost of any giclee
edition. They are also historically accurate, not
altered by photo imaging programs as all other giclees have been. But
we would not expect them to increase in value.
However, the Princeton
Collection is viewed as the finest of all Audubon facsimile editions.
(Facsimile means the same size as the original.) Its quality is unsurpassed
and will likely never be duplicated, as our unique production process
required the purchase of the actual originals, which cost into the tens of
thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Our image
capture was a one-to one capture. You simply cannot do better.
Princetons were offered for
$40 to $90 dollars when first produced. They now sell for many times that,
and are near to selling out. While we cannot guarantee future prices, the
past performance shows that Princetons have already been excellent
investments, and due to their unequalled quality,
their value continues to rise even in today’s market.
We will be increasing the price as each image nears the
sold out status. Several universities
and trusts, in fact, have purchased our entire collection for their
permanent collections.
Thus,
first purchase for the sheer beauty, but purchase an original or a Princeton
as an investment. Both should at least hold their value in these
difficult times. You will also note that the Audubon House and
Gallery in Key West, Florida, sells Princetons as an investment edition.
Back to top
Wrens,
Warblers, and More Collection! A Perfect 10!
Well, you have made it
to the bottom of our home page. Here is a special offer that you will
not see anywhere else on our website. Ten double elephant prints of the
smaller birds, often viewed as the most graceful and artistic regarding
composition, for only $500. Or five for $250. We call it The Wrens, Warblers, and More
Collection. The included prints are the
American Goldfinch,
Great
Carolina Wren, House Wren,
Vigors's Warbler,
Black & Yellow Warbler,
Blue
Yellow-backed Warbler, Field Sparrow,
Bonaparte Flycatcher,
Painted Bunting,
and Audubon's favorite bird, the Wood Thrush. Not a bad offer!
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