Barn Owl

1831

Elected to the American academies: fame on both sides of the ocean

In 1831, while Ord was in England, Audubon was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, which had earlier refused him, and the American Philosophical Society. By then he was a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic, and the newspapers tracked his movements.

1831

Back to America: a plan to reach the Pacific

Having finished the first volume of “The Birds of America” and left the publication of the second to John George Children, Audubon and his wife left the British Isles in 1831: he needed birds again. He planned to visit Florida, Mexico and perhaps California and to reach the mouth of the Columbia River, but the speed and cost of travel in Florida made him limit himself to the Atlantic coast.

October 1831

Charleston: meeting John Bachman

In October 1831 at Charleston Audubon met John Bachman, who was interested in ornithology and a good shot: his huge house had a separate room for a taxidermist. Bachman's sister-in-law Maria Martin lived there, and Audubon hired her to paint background details; it was then that they agreed on a future book on quadrupeds.

spring – summer 1833

The Labrador expedition

In the spring of 1833 Audubon set out for Labrador with his son John Woodhouse and several young assistants to observe water birds in breeding plumage. The trip was not very successful, yielding 23 drawings and 73 prepared birds besides a collection of sea animals and plants, but a nest of the blackpoll warbler that he found, in his words, paid for the whole journey.

1835

The critic John Neal questions his honesty

Audubon failed to credit the work of Joseph Mason, which prompted a series of articles in 1835 by the critic John Neal questioning Audubon's honesty and trustworthiness.