Please measure your print
Size
All Audubon originals are one
of only three sizes.
The first
and most valuable is the original "double elephant folio" edition of the
Birds of America. This on average measures 26 1/4" x 39 1/4" trimmed.
Sometimes an additional inch or slightly less is trimmed off a longer side,
where previous owners may have removed original binding marks.
The second
is the "Imperial" edition of the mammals or quadrupeds. This measured
22" x 28" and is defined in the Oxford English dictionary as the "elephant
folio" sizing, but more often called the "Imperial" edition.
The third is
the "Royal Octavo" or miniature edition of the Birds, and later, the
mammals. This edition measures about 6 1/2" x 10 " or 7" x 10 3/4".
If your print does not
closely match any of these sizes, taking into consideration trimming, then
you most likely have one of the 100's of reproduction editions.
One caution: some of the
outer edges of double elephant prints with smaller images have been trimmed
by various owners, in order to fit the print into smaller frames. To
check if this may have happened in the case of a double elephant original,
please locate your print on the double elephant
folio list, and note the image size (the size of the artwork). If
this matches the size of the artwork on your print, then move to the next
step. If you are examining a Royal Octavo print, please
click here.
Plate impression
Next, does your double
elephant sized print have a rectangular impression, a border within the
paper edges, surrounding the image? On the original prints, this was
caused by the edges of the inked copper engraving plates being pressed into
the paper, and in doing so leaving a crease.
Not only are these generally
visible, but you should be able to feel them as you run your fingers gently
from the image to the outer edges of the paper.
These impressions will vary
in size, this being determined by the size of the printing plate used for
the various sized images. Once again, if your print has been
drastically trimmed, this impression may no longer exist.
Larger images may have no
visible impression since the copperplates extended almost to the end of the
paper. However, also be cautioned that there have been a number of restrikes
produced over the years, or prints produced by the original plates that are
still in existence. These are not Audubon originals. Please see our
reproduction page for information on these editions. These restrikes too
will show a plate impression.
Further, some modern
reproductions also have a false plate mark. However, these can generally be
distinguished from originals and restrikes since they have a consistent
"feel" on both sides of the impression border. A copperplate
pressing into the dampened sheet of paper would "smooth" the paper surface
within the impression rectangle on an original, but leave the paper "as is"
(not as smooth) outside it.
Appearance under
magnification
Now take the magnifying glass
and bring into focus several areas on the image itself. Do you see a
geometric pattern of dots? If so, yours is a photo offset
reproduction, and not an original.
Some reproductions are worth
thousands of dollars, but a geometric pattern of dots rules out your print
being an original.
Audubon double elephant
originals under magnification reveal smooth washes of watercolors, not a
pattern of dots. Many times one will even see where the colorists went
"outside the lines" of the engraved image with their watercolor brushes.
Remember, each Audubon original was individually hand-colored.
Foxing, general
appearance of paper
Now, if you have passed the
sizing, plate impressions, and dot tests, please examine the print itself.
Does it appear, well, old? Remember, the originals are about
165-years-old. Foxing may be evident, there may be soiling, small
tears, or other irregularities. A newer reproduction will appear, well,
newer.
The watermark
If unframed, please
carefully hold your
double elephant print between your eyes and a
light source. All untrimmed Audubon double elephant folio Birds of
America prints have a very visible countermark. A countermark is
similar to what is termed a watermark, but it is without artistic elements,
generally simply consisting only of lettering. It will stretch about
10 inches across the paper, being about 1 inch in height. The name of
the countermark is either "J Whatman/Turkey Mill" or just "J Whatman" with a
date following, generally anywhere from 1825 to 1838. If you see such
a countermark, you have an original Audubon. You may want to have it
professionally appraised.
