William Home Lizars John James Audubon

William Home Lizars, an eminent Scottish engraver and printer, collaborated with American ornithologist and artist John James Audubon on a critical series of ornithological plates, active around 1827. This partnership combined Audubon’s observational skill and artistic rendering with Lizars’ technical expertise in etching and aquatint, crucial for producing the massive illustrations required for Audubon’s ambitious project documenting North American birds.

The works documented in collections demonstrate a rigorous focus on natural history illustration, capturing the life-size depiction of avian specimens. Notable compositions include the detailed plates Bonaparte Fly Catcher, the pair of prints titled Brown Lark, and the monumental studies of Great American Cock and Great American Hen and Young. Eleven of these early, high-quality prints are represented in institutional databases.

This collaborative work is held in major public institutions, establishing its significance in both natural history and the history of printmaking. The collection includes holdings at the National Gallery of Art. Because of their age and cultural importance, many of these influential William Home Lizars John James Audubon prints have entered the public domain, making the detailed studies available as royalty-free downloadable artwork for scholarship and enjoyment.