Black-Footed Ferret
John Woodhouse Audubon·1840/1846
Historical Context
John Woodhouse Audubon painted this Black-Footed Ferret between 1840 and 1846 as part of his collaboration with his father John James Audubon on "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America." While the elder Audubon is famous for his bird paintings, the mammal project was largely executed by his sons John Woodhouse and Victor. The black-footed ferret, now one of North America's most endangered mammals, was first scientifically described by Audubon and Bachman in 1851. This oil study served as the basis for the lithographic plate in their landmark publication.
Technical Analysis
John Woodhouse Audubon's technique combines his father's tradition of precise naturalistic observation with painterly oil technique, rendering the ferret's fur texture and alert posture with both scientific accuracy and artistic sensitivity.
Provenance
The artist [1812-1862]; probably by inheritance to his second wife, Caroline Hall Audubon [1811-1899], Salem, New York; by inheritance to their son, William Bakewell Audubon [1847-1932], Australia; by inheritance to his son, Leonard Benjamin Audubon [1888-1951], Sydney, Australia;[1] sold 1950 to E.J.L. Hallstrom [1886-1970], Sydney, Australia; gift 1951 to NGA. [1] Handwritten twice in ink on the back of the painting is: "W.B. Audubon." John James Audubon had four children, one of whom was John Woodhouse Audubon [1812-1862]. The younger Audubon married twice; he had two children with his first wife, Maria Bachman [1816-1840], and seven with his second wife, Caroline Hall [1811-1899]. Of the seven, five lived to adulthood, and one of them, William Bakewell Audubon [1847-1932], left the United States for Australia in either 1880 or 1882. He began a new life raising sheep near Yass, a small town about 250 miles west of Sydney. He married Lucy Ann Grovenor in 1885, and they had two children, Leonard Benjamin and Ella Caroline. According to a letter of 9 July 1952 from Ella Caroline Audubon to John Walker (in NGA curatorial files), Audubon paintings were sent to Australia in 1899 or 1900, which would correspond with the death of Caroline Hall Audubon on 1 February 1899. Miss Audubon's letter states that her father arrived in Australia 8 April 1880. However, Walter Audubon gives 21 January 1882 as the date that William Bakewell Audubon sailed for Australia, and he writes also that it was William who "brought with him many paintings by his grandfather, John James Audubon" (see Walter Audubon, _Last of the Audubon Line: The Descendants of John Woodhouse Audubon_, Franklin, North Carolina, 2002: 72-79).
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