Farmyard Fowls
John James Audubon·c. 1827
Historical Context
John James Audubon's Farmyard Fowls (c. 1827) is a rare oil painting by the artist best known for his monumental watercolor illustrations in "The Birds of America." Audubon occasionally worked in oils, particularly for private commissions and studies, and these paintings reveal a different facet of his artistry — more painterly and atmospheric than his precise watercolor plates. This depiction of domestic poultry shows Audubon's characteristic attention to plumage detail and natural behavior, even when the subjects are familiar barnyard birds rather than exotic species.
Technical Analysis
Audubon's oil technique here differs markedly from his watercolor work, employing broader brushstrokes and richer tonal modeling while maintaining the precise anatomical observation that made his ornithological illustrations definitive.
Provenance
The artist [1785-1851]; probably by inheritance to his son, John Woodhouse Audubon [1812-1862], Salem, New York; by inheritance to his second wife, Caroline Hall Audubon [1811-1899], Salem, New York; by inheritance to her son, William Bakewell Audubon [1847-1932], Australia;[1] by inheritance to his son, Leonard Benjamin Audubon [1888-1951], Sydney, Australia; sold 1950 to E.J.L. Hallstrom [1886-1970], Sydney, Australia; gift 1951 to NGA. [1] The painting was seen in 1895 at the home of Mrs. John Woodhouse Audubon by R.W. Shufeldt ("An Hitherto Unpublished Painting by Audubon," _The Wilson Bulletin_ XXII, no. I [March 1910]: 4-5). A note on the back of the painting that purports to explain the circumstances surrounding its creation is signed by "M.R. 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; Maria Rebecca Audubon [1843-1925], who signed the note on the back of the painting, was one of the daughters, and William Bakewell Audubon [1847-1932] was one of the sons. William left the United States for Australia in either 1880 or 1882, and 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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