Bird Animal Prints

Artist: John Latham (English, 1740-1837) Title: "New-Zealand Plover", "Nilid Grosbeak", "Black-throated Bunting", and "Variegated Chatterer" Portfolio: A General History of Birds Year: 1821-1828 (second edition) Medium: Set of Four Original Hand-Colored Engravings on wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Jacob & Johnson, Winchester, UK Publisher: John Latham, Winchester, UK Reference: Brunet III, 872; Lowndes II, page 1314; Fine Bird Books page 87; Nissen IVB 532; Zimmer page 376 Sheet size (each): approx. 11.13" x 8.75" Image size (each): approx. 4.75" x 4.5" Condition: "New-Zealand Plover" has some light offsetting and a few faint areas of discoloration at top in margin. "Nilid Grosbeak" has some faint areas of discoloration. They are all otherwise in excellent condition with strong colors Rare Notes: Provenance: acquired from Christie's, New York, NY, December 19, 1990. Comes from Latham's famous eleven volume portfolio "A General History of Birds" (1821-1828) (second edition), which consists of 193 hand-colored prints, made from engraved plates. "New-Zealand Plover" has an unidentified "1823" watermark lower right. Biography: John Latham (27 June 1740 – 4 February 1837) was an English physician, naturalist and author. His main works were A General Synopsis of Birds (1781–1801) and General History of Birds (1821–1828). He was able to examine specimens of Australian birds...

"Be Extra Alert on Rainy Days" is a color lithograph poster drawn by Isadore Seltzer for the Wisconsin Division of the American Automobile Association. It depicts two yellow ducks on...

This is an original 1st edition John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "White-headed Sea Eagle or Bald Eagle", No. 3, Plate 14 from Audubon's "Birds of America, lithogra...

Edition 7/45

Rudolf Hayder (active in the 1st half of the 20th century), Heron. Color woodcut on thin Japanese paper, 24 x 29 cm (image), 29 x 36 cm (sheet size), signed by hand at lower right "R. Hayder" and titled by hand as "Reiher". Lower left inscribed by hand "Orig.[inal] woodcut, hand print". - A little bit stained in the margins and very occasionally in the image, minimal hole above the signature, traces of creasing. At the back side's margins with remnants of an old mounting. About the artwork In the context of French Japonism, the color woodblock print, which was widespread in the Asian region, was rediscovered for Western art. The artists of the time, such as Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, were inspired not only by the cultural influence, but also by the two-dimensionality of the pictorial spaces. Thus, color woodcuts became an important moment in the development of the modern pictorial concept founded by Impressionism. In Rudolf Hayder's "Herons", too, the two-dimensionality of the pictorial space is decisive for the pictorial effect. The herons, surrounded by reeds, are framed by the yellow background of the lake, followed by the dark blue-greenish stripe of the opposite shore and, above it, the sky in a lighter blue-green. Formally, it is a sequence of planes, but the two-dimensionality of the motif creates a spatial effect. This spatiality in the surface creates an intense pictorial effect. Hayder intensifies this effect with the blazing lake. In terms of color, the water becomes a sunset. The yellow turns reddish brown toward the shore, then fades to brownish red, while the shore is a watery turquoise...

Great Northern Diver is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917). Woodcut print on ivory-colored pap...

Artist: Mark Sabin Title: Noah's Ark - 1980 Medium: Screenprint on Somerset Paper 34'' x 26'' Edition: Signed in pencil, titled, dated and marked 203/250 image size : 31" x 23.25" inches Mark Sabin is a fantasy painter, blending elements in a juxtaposition that surprises the audience. Sabin is quoted describing his work as "unconscious dictation." Sabin’s paintings are in various collections including the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City. His works have appeared on magazine covers, record jackets, and brochures. The artist is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University School of Law. He attended New York University...

The Bat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

The Bat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

The Bat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

The Bat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

The Bat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

The Bat is an original lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized by Paul Gervais (1816-1879). The artwork is from The Series of "Les Trois Règnes de la Nature", and was published i...

Lesser Black-Backed Gull is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & S...

Wigeon is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917). Woodcut print on ivory-colored paper. Hand-colored, published by London, Bell...

Shieldrake is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870. Na...

Scaup is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870. Name of...

Redstart is a modern artwork realized in 1870 by the British artist Alexander Francis Lydon (1836-1917) . Woodcut print, hand colored, published by London, Bell & Sons, 1870. Name...

This is one of a series of 6 related bird prints, identical in size and each the same shade of bright blue and white, which are as commanding individually as they are in groupings. Lisa Houck is a very established New England area artist as recognized for her public installations, paintings, watercolors, textiles and mosaics as her work with linocuts and woodblock prints. At times reminiscent of Folk and Aborigine art, inspired as well by James Audubon and Hokusai, Houck is widely known for a gorgeous and elegant sensibility which is both playful and quite serious that is uniquely her own. Lisa Houck 'Chittering and Chattering II' Linoleum Block Print, Edition 10 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 Inches (Image Size) Sold individually or as sets of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. These prints are unframed. Also available is a separate series of 8 larger linoleum block prints (editions of 10 each, 35 1/4 x 23 1/4 inches image size) of very related bird themes each in a different shade of blue. These series are also sold individually or as sets of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. Among the many large public art commissions the artist has completed for interior and exterior sites in Boston and nationwide in mosaic and mural format are permanent installations for The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Children's Hospitals in Boston and Waltham, The Frieda Garcia Park, Fort Point Channel, The Cambridge Senior Center, and 4 libraries in Broward County, Florida. LISA HOUCK Education and Professional Affiliations: Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA: M.F.A. 1989. Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI: B.F.A. 1975. Boston Printmakers SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS: Beth Urdang Gallery, Boston, MA 2017 Cambridge Arts Council, Gallery 344, “A Long Walk with No Destination”, Cambridge, MA 2016 Beth Urdang Gallery, Wellesley, MA 2015 Patricia Carega Gallery: “White Line Woodcuts,” Center Sandwich, NH 2014 Rivers School, Weston, MA 2008 Bentley College: “All About the Square,” Waltham, MA 2003. Barton-Ryan Gallery: “Improbable Botanicals and Landscapes,” Boston, MA 2000. Randall Beck Gallery: Boston, MA 1993, 1991. Barbara Singer Fine Art: Cambridge, MA 1991. Coyote Gallery: Cambridge, MA 1989. Tufts University: “MFA Thesis Exhibition,” Cohen Arts Center, Medford, MA 1988. Modestino Gallery: Cambridge, MA 1987, 1986. New England School of Art and Design: Boston, MA 1986. Mott House: “The Comet and Other Phenomena,” Washington, DC 1986. SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS: Arsenal Center for the Arts, “Big Print”, Watertown, MA 2016 FPAC Gallery, Fort Point Channel, “Mosaic Muse”, Boston, MA 2016 Art of Mosaic: Piecing it Together, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA 2013 National Mosaic Exhibit on Cape Cod, 2011 Fancy Plants: Bentley University, 2010 Contemporary Mosaics: Attleboro Arts Museum, 2010 Boston Children’s Museum: “I See Trees,” 2009. Somerville Museum: “Art of Mosaic,” 2009. Milton Academy: “Design/Build,” 2009. Danforth Museum: Members Show, 2007 Boston Printmakers: North American Print Biennial, 2005. Peabody Essex Museum: “In Nature’s Company,” Salem, MA 2004. Cambridge Art Association: “Hot Colors,” (Best in Show Award), Cambridge, MA 2002. Tufts University: “Alumni Exhibition,” Aidekman Gallery, Medford, MA 2001. Acacia Gallery: Gloucester, MA 2000. Wiggin Gallery: “Women in Watercolor,” Boston Public Library, Boston, MA 2000. New Art Center: “Lasting Impressions: Looking at the Land,” Newton, MA 1997. Bernard Toale Gallery: “The Pet Show,” Boston, MA 1996. Albers Gallery: Memphis, TN 1994, 1992,1991. Pritam & Eames: East Hampton, NY 1992. Boston Center for the Arts: Boston, MA 1989. DeCordova Museum: “Explorations in Handmade Paper,” Lincoln, MA 1989. Fuller Museum of Art: “RISD Alumni in Boston,” Brockton, MA 1989. St. Botolph Club: Boston, MA 1988. Danforth Museum: “Symmetry and Pattern in Art and Nature,” Framingham, MA 1986. Brunnier Museum: “Images of the Universe,” Ames, IA 1986. New England School of Art and Design: “A Celebration of the Return of Halley’s Comet,” Boston, MA 1985. Rose Art Museum: “Boston Printmakers,” Waltham, MA 1985. Fuller Museum of Art: “Triennial Exhibition,” Brockton, MA 1983. Cambridge Arts Council: “Lofty Views and Heightened Perspectives,” Cambridge, MA 1983. The Boston Company The Boston Public Library Brigham and Women’s Hospital Brunnier Museum, Ames, IA Coopers & Lybrand Fidelity Investments Fogg Art Museum Goodwin Procter Harvard Business School Harvard Community Health Plan SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS, NUMEROUS PRIVATE COLLECTIONS: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Fogg Art Museum Boston Athenaeum The Boston Company The Boston Public Library Brigham and Women’s Hospital Fidelity Investments Goodwin Procter Harvard Business School Harvard Community Health Plan Brunnier Museum, Ames, IA Coopers & Lybrand Herman Miller Lahey Clinic Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Mutual Corporation Montgomery Watson Harza Neiman Marcus New England Medical Center State Street Bank and Trust Valley Hospital, NJ GRANTS/PROJECTS: Herman Miller Lahey Clinic Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Mutual Corporation Montgomery Watson Harza Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Neiman Marcus New England Medical Center State Street Bank and Trust Valley Hospital, NJ “City Square with Reflecting Pool,” 6’ X 6’ mosaic for Iron Street Park in Boston. Located on the corner of A Street and Iron Street in Boston, commissioned for this new park in Boston by a private client in 2014. Children’s Hospital, Waltham, MA: eleven-panel, oil-on-wood painting for the lobby, 2005. Grant from Massachusetts Cultural Council, 2005. For a ceramics program in the public schools, sponsored by the Dedham Cultural Council. John Hancock Financial Services: Frieda Garcia Park. Commission to create two mosaic murals incorporating children’s art from the community, 2004. Murals are 8’ X 10’ and 8’ x 22’. Broward County Cultural Affairs Office/Public Art Department, Florida: Public Art Commission to create paintings and printed materials for four libraries in Broward County, 2003. Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Jimmy Fund Clinic, Boston, MA: eight panel mosaic for the reception area. Architect: Miller, Dyer, Spears, 2003. Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan International Airport, Terminal E, Boston, MA: Six digital reproductions of paintings. Project Coordinator: Urban Arts Institute, 2001. ”The Rare Tropical Cod,” part of the Cavalcade of Cod, a school of 5’5” fiberglass fish sculptures which were displayed throughout the city of Boston in the fall of 2000. Sponsored by Boston’s B2K Committee. Poster and button and display banners for First Night Boston, 1998. Grant from the City of Cambridge to create murals for the Cambridge Senior Center, 1995. Administered by the Cambridge Arts Council. Fellowship in the Visual Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, 1994. Administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts. Grant from Arts on the Line, Cambridge, MA for temporary art in the subway including a 36-foot painting for the Kendall Square subway station, Cambridge, MA 1988. Grant from the Cambridge Arts Council for a mural for the Cambridge River...

This is an original 19th century 1st octavo edition John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Least Bittern, 1. Male, 2. Female, 3. Young", No. 74, Plate 366, from Audubon...

"Fabled Ambassador (Bird Suite)" is an original color lithograph by Michael Knigin. The artist signed the piece in the lower right and wrote the edition num...

This plate is unique because of the bird species' unmistakable beauty and the great scientific and artistic skill with which Elisabeth and Jhon Gould rendered it. The price quoted h...

George Edwards: ""A History of Uncommon Birds"", 1749-1761. A prominent English naturalist and ornithologist, George Edwards (1694 -1773) is best known for his work, ""A Natural Hi...

Chris Forrest, American (1946 - ) - Pheasant, Year: Circa 1980, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 300, Image Size: 18 x 22 ...

Christine McGinniss Charming, 1960s work - makes a wonderful gift Etching with plate tone on off-white wove paper Pencil titled and signed Artists Proof, aside from the regular editi...

This artwork titled "Bird About to Take a Flight" from the suite "Bestiary and some Correspondences" 1968 is an original color lithograph on Arches paper by renown British surrealist...

Artist: Raymond Jennings Saunders, American (1934 - ) Title: Duck Out of Water Year: 1975 Medium: Lithograph with Screenprint and Collage, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 200...

This exquisite lithograph by Charles Lapicque (1898–1988), titled Le chant des oiseaux (The Song of the Birds), originates from the 1972 edition published by Editions A. C. Mazo et C...

George Edwards: "A History of Uncommon Birds", 1749-1761. A prominent English naturalist and ornithologist, George Edwards (1694 -1773) is best known for his work, ""A Natural Histo...

The Goldfinch is an aquatint and drypoint print on chine from one of the deluxe copies of Picasso's 1942 Histoire Naturelle - Textes de Buffon series. The image size is 11.2 x 8.25 inches, unsigned as issued, and framed in a contemporary silver and gray moulding. One of about 36 prints that exist with Picasso's remarqued title in French, from the edition of 262 (there were 226 portfolios, some with additional sets on varying papers). Catalogue - Cramer #37 The exceptional etchings from Picasso’s Histoire Naturelle – Textes de Buffon are a masterful combination of sugar-lift aquatint and drypoint, showcasing a full range of gray tonalities. The etchings of animals, birds and insects are considered some of the most beautiful and most unusual examples of Picasso’s graphic work. Roger Lacourière, Picasso’s master printer, pulled the prints for each etching between 1939-1942. It was Lacourière who taught Picasso the sugar-lift aquatint technique which allowed him to mimic the effect of brushstrokes in these etched images. Picasso first explored the technique in his plates for the Vollard Suite, but it was in the creation of the Buffon images that he fully realized its stunning, painterly potential. For the edition, 226 portfolios were produced with the first thirty-six counting as deluxe compilations. These rare deluxe sets were on diverse papers (chine, japon or vergé ancien) and each included a complete additional suite showing Picasso’s title remarques along the bottom. As such, the remarqued versions of the prints are quite rare with just thirty-six of each produced for the edition (with the exception of The Wolf which is never remarqued – the image always fills the entire etching plate). These prints are based on the writings of French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, who extensively documented the natural world in his monumental work Histoire Naturelle. Picasso’s association with the project to illustrate parts of the Buffon came during a tumultuous time in European history – the prelude to, and early years of, World War II. As the continent was ravaged, Picasso lived through the disaster in Paris, which the Germans occupied in 1940. These prints could be seen as a political statement – Picasso channeling his artistic expression into a form of resistance art...

George Edwards: "A History of Uncommon Birds", 1749-1761. A prominent English naturalist and ornithologist, George Edwards (1694 -1773) is best known for his work, ""A Natural Histo...

Poster-Long Beach Museum of Art/Bookstore/Gallery. Publishing Information: 1981 Davis Blue Artwork, Los Angeles. Measures 24 x 36 in. Unframed. Good/Fair Condition-shows signs of age...

Etching realized in 1771. It belongs to the first edition of the suite "Histoire Naturelle de Buffon". Good conditions with slight foxing.

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Whooping Crane" (Plate 313, No. 63) Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Edition Year: 1840-1844 Medium: Origi...

Eagle Fisherman is an etching hand colored realized by Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert - Johann Friedrich Naumann, Illustration from Natural history of birds in pictures, published by...

This artwork titled "The Owl that calls upon the Night speaks the Unbeliever's" 1968 is an original woodcut on Makuroko paper by noted American artist Leonard Baskin, 1922-2000. It i...

Ciconia Nigra - John Gould lithograph with hand-coloured size 54 cm X 36 cm This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished colour is ...

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Great White Heron" (Plate 368, No. 74) Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Edition Year: 1840-1844 Medium: Or...

Joseph Hecht, 'Asie (Asia) from the series Atlas', engraving, 1928, edition c. 50, Tonneau-Ryckelynck & Plumart 162. Signed and annotated 'epreuve definitive' (final proof) in pencil...

This artwork titled "Rabbit Series #3" 1980, is an original mezzotint with embossing by noted Hungarian artist Radovan Kragulj, b.1935. It is hand signed, dated, titled and inscribed A.P. (Artist Proof) in pencil by the artist. The sheet size is 25.5 x 19.5 inches, framed size is 26.75 x 20.75 inches. It is custom framed in a silver metal frame, with white backing. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Radovan Kraguly...

In response to a massive oil spill off the coast of Southern California in 1969, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson initiated the idea of the first annual Earth Day on April 22, 1970, ...

This is an original John James Audubon hand-colored lithograph entitled "Buff-breasted Merganser Goosander, 1. Male 2. Female", No. 83, Plate 411 from Audubon's "Birds of America, li...

This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Saucerottia Cyanifrons", Blue-capped Saucerottia Hummingbirds by John Gould, published in his "A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds", published in London in 1850. The print, which was drawn by Gould and Henry Richter and lithographed by Hullmandel and Walton, depicts two green, blue and a little brown colored hummingbirds about a plant with green leaves and pink flowers. This beautiful Gould hand-colored hummingbird lithograph has a few very small faint spots, but it is otherwise in excellent condition. The original text page is included. There are other unframed Gould hummingbird...

This is a hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Gallinago Scolopacinus" (Common Snipe) by John Gould from his monograph "The Birds of Great Britain", published in London in 1...

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Title: "Long-billed Curlew (City of Charleston)" (Plate 355, No. 71) Portfolio: The Birds of America, First Royal Octavo Edition Year...

untitled woodcut by Kjell Otterness from the early 2000s printed in an edition of 6. Pickachu Pokémon

This is a remarkable hand-colored folio sized lithograph entitled "Dendrochelidon Mystaceus" (Bearded Tree-Swift) by John Gould from his monograph "The Birds of Great Britain", publi...

Artist: François-Nicolas Martinet (French, 1731-1800) Title: "Le Millouinan" (Plate 1002) Portfolio: Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux *Signed by Martinet in the plate (printed signatur...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper condition: very good provenance: from...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper condition: very good provenance: from...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper condition: very good provenance: from...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper condition: very good provenance: from...

Trogon Personatus - John Gould lithograph with hand-colored size 54 cm X 36 cm This remarkable ornithology lithograph with hand-finished color i...

Chromolithograph of Ducks, laid on to contemporary card (as published). [Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1878]. Alexander Pope, Jr., was an American sculptor and painter. He’s kn...

[ Bird of Paradise] La Pie de paradise, vue par derriere , No.21, Paris 1801-1806 [Astrapia nigra]. Color-printed engraving with hand-coloring. French botanical and zoological illustrator Jacques Barraband (1767-1809) was known as one of the finest ornithological artists of his time .He is best known for his watercolors and engravings that were commissioned by François LeVaillant, French explorer, naturalist, zoological collector , noted ornithologist and author. Levaillant’s Histoire naturelle des perroquets (1801-05) and his Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis (Birds of Paradise, 1801-06), both of which Barraband contributed to, are still considered some of the most beautiful bird books of all times because of their exceptional scientific accuracy, rich color and detail. The Astrapia nigra is a Bird of Paradise that inhabits the Vogelkop Peninsula of West Papua...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper Condition: very good Provenance: from...

Classical bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper condition: very good provenance: from...

Frank Weston Benson Winter Wildfowling, 1927 Signed lower left Etching on paper Image 8 1/2 x 7 inches Born in Salem, Massachusetts, a descendant of a long line of sea captains, Benson first studied art at Boston’s Museum School where he became editor of the student magazine. In 1883, Benson enrolled at the Académie Julian in Paris where artists such as Bouguereau, Lefebvre, Constant, Doucet and Boulanger taught students from all over Europe and America. It was Boulanger who gave Benson his highest commendation. “Young man,” he said, “Your career is in your hands . . . you will do very well.” Benson’s parents gave him a present of one thousand dollars a twenty-first birthday and told him to return home when it ran out. The money lasted long enough to provide Benson with two years of schooling in Paris, a summer at the seaside village of Concarneau in Brittany and travel in England. Upon returning to America, Benson opened a studio on Salem’s Chestnut Street and began painting portraits of family and friends. An oil of his wife, Ellen Perry Peirson, dressed in her wedding gown is representative of this period. It demonstrates not only the academic techniques he learned at the Academie Julian but also his own growing emphasis on the effects of light. And yet, despite all the technical mastery displayed in the work, the painting exudes the warmth that existed between model and artist. More than a likeness, it is a study in serenity. Perhaps it was of a work such as this that Benson was thinking when he said, “The more a painter knows about his subject, the more he studies and understands it, the more the true nature of it is perceived by whoever looks at it, even though it is extremely subtle and not easy to see or understand. A painter must search deeply into the aspects of a subject, must know and understand it thoroughly before he can represent it well.” Following a brief stint as an instructor at the Portland, Maine, Society of Art, Benson was appointed as instructor of antique drawing at the Museum School in Boston in the spring of l889. Benson’s long association with the school was particularly fruitful. Under the leadership of Edmund Tarbell and Benson the Museum School became a national and internationally recognized institution. The students won numerous prizes, enrollment tripled, a new school building was erected and visiting delegations from other schools sought the secret of their success. Benson cherished his role as teacher and was held in high esteem by his students, many of whom called him “Cher Maitre.” Reminiscing about his long career with the school Benson once said, “I may have taught many students, but it was I who learned the most.” In 1890, Benson won the Hallgarten Prize at the National Academy in New York. It was the first of a long series of awards, that earning for him the sobriquet “America’s Most Medalled Painter.” In the early years of his career, Benson’s studio works were mostly portraits or paintings of figures set in richly appointed interiors. Young women in white stretch their hands out towards the glow of an unseen fire; girls converse on an antique settee in a room full of objets d’arts; his first daughter, Eleanor, poses with her cat. Works of this sort, together with a steady influx of portrait commissions, earned Benson both renown and financial rewards, yet it was in his outdoor works that gave Benson his greatest pleasure. In the latter half of the 1890s, Benson summered in Newcastle, on New Hampshire’s short stretch of seacoast. It was here, in 1899, that Benson made his first foray into impressionism with Children in the Woods and The Sisters, the latter a sun-dappled study of his two youngest daughters, Sylvia and Elisabeth. This painting was one of the first works that Benson hung at an exhibition with nine friends. The resignation of these ten illustrious artists rocked the American art establishment but, the catalogue for their first exhibition was titled, simply, “Ten American Painters.” When, in 1898, the three Bostonians and seven New Yorkers began to exhibit their best work in exquisitely arranged small shows, the group (dubbed by newspapers, “The Ten” ) quickly became known as the American Impressionists, a bow to the style of their French predecessors. The Ten’s annual shows soon became an eagerly awaited part of the annual exhibition calendar and were always well reviewed. Held annually in New York City, the group’s yearly exhibitions usually traveled to Boston and were occasionally seen in other cities. Benson’s association with other members of the group such as Childe Hassam, Thomas Dewing, William Merrit Chase and J. Alden Weir, only reinforced his growing emphasis on the tenets of Impressionism. As he later said to his daughter Eleanor, “I follow the light, where it comes from, where it goes.” The principles of Impressionism began to dominate Benson’s work by 1901, the year that the Bensons first summered on the island of North Haven in Maine’s Penobscot Bay. His summer home “Wooster Farm,” which they rented and finally bought in 1906, became the setting for some of Benson’s best known work and there, it seemed, he found endless inspiration. Benson’s sparkling plein-air paintings of his children–Eleanor, George, Elisabeth and Sylvia–capture the very essence of summer and have been widely reproduced: In The Hilltop, George and Eleanor watch the sailboat races from the headland near their house. As a boy, Benson dreamed of being an ornithological illustrator. In mid-life, he returned to the wildfowl and sporting subjects that had remained his lifelong passion. Using etching and lithography, watercolor, oil and wash, Benson portrayed the birds observed since childhood and captured scenes of his hunting and fishing expeditions. Together with his two brothers-in-law, Benson bought a small hunting retreat on a hill overlooking Cape Cod’s Nauset Marsh. Here, in the late 1890s, he began experimenting with black and white wash drawings. These paintings became so popular that Benson was not able to keep up with the demand. He turned to an art publishing company to have several made into it intaglio prints; twelve wash drawings are known to have been reproduced in this manner. At least two of them were given as gifts to associate members of the Boston Guild of artists, of which Benson was a founding member. Benson was also an avid fisherman and his salmon fishing expeditions to Canada’s Gaspé Peninsula where one of the high points of his summer. There, in 1921, he began the first in a series of watercolors that would eventually over 500 works. Benson’s watercolors conveyed the joy and beauty of a sportsman’s life whether in a painting of a hunter setting out decoys, a flock of ducks coming in for a landing or a grouse flushed from cover. The critics favorably compared Benson’s watercolors to those of Homer. “The love of the almost primitive wilderness which appears in many of Homer’s landscapes and the swift, sure touch with which he suggests rather than describes–these also characterize Benson’s work,” one critic wrote. “The solitude of the northern woods is very much like Homer’s.” Like the wash drawings before them, Benson’s watercolors proved...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper condition: very good provenance: from...

Classical Bird print, after John James Audubon, printed by Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York unframed, 17 x 14 inches color print on paper Condition: very good Provenance: from...