Whooping Crane
Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851)
Date: 1834
Dimensions:
38 x 26 in. (96.5 x 66 cm)
Medium: etching with aquatint and hand coloring
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of an anonymous donor
Object number: 1958.2
Label Text:The tallest bird in North America at just under five feet, the Whooping Crane posed a problem for Audubon and his engraver. Because Audubon wanted to portray birds at their actual size, the large crane had to be posed in such a way that it would fit on the double elephant folio paper, the largest sheet of paper available at the time. Audubon had observed a whooping crane feeding on baby alligators in Louisiana and used this activity as a premise for the bird’s bent and angled neck. Even so, the crane is literally too big to be contained by the etching plate—hand-coloring is used to extend the neck, beak, and tail beyond the plate mark.
Plentiful in Audubon’s time, the Whooping Crane population was reduced by hunting and loss of habitat to a mere 15 birds by 1941. Careful cultivation has increased the population to about 600, but it remains severely endangered. It gets its common name from its resounding call, which can carry for miles.
Plentiful in Audubon’s time, the Whooping Crane population was reduced by hunting and loss of habitat to a mere 15 birds by 1941. Careful cultivation has increased the population to about 600, but it remains severely endangered. It gets its common name from its resounding call, which can carry for miles.
On view
In Collection(s)