John James Audubon: From Wilderness to Masterpiece

John James Audubon was a renowned naturalist, painter and ornithologist best known for his monumental series, The Birds of America. This groundbreaking collection, published between 1827 and 1838 depicts 435 species of North American birds in stunning, life-size detail. The exhibit also explores Audubon's deep ties to Louisiana, where he lived and worked during the 1820s. While teaching art in New Orleans and St. Francisville, he created many of the bird studies that would later appear in The Birds of America. During his time at Oakley Plantation, where he instructed the Pirrie family's daughter, Audubon completed dozens of life-size bird portraits inspired by Louisiana's landscapes, swamps and diverse wildlife.