Brown Lark

May – 21 July 1826

Across the ocean with a portfolio of drawings: Liverpool

Audubon left the United States in May 1826 and arrived in Liverpool on 21 July, going straight with a letter of introduction to the wealthy Richard Rathbone and getting to know his whole family. The exhibition of his work at the Royal Institution lasted a month, and after William Roscoe's urging the free first week gave way to paid admission: Audubon earned £100 and sold several oil copies of his drawings.

1826

An agreement with Lizars to publish in Edinburgh

In Edinburgh friends introduced Audubon to the engraver William Lizars, who spent several days looking at the watercolours and decided to publish them after seeing the portrait of the peregrine falcon. They reached an agreement in November 1826, but in several months only ten images were ready, and their quality did not satisfy Audubon.

spring 1827

London: the engraver Robert Havell Jr.

In the spring of 1827 in London Audubon learned of a strike at Lizars's workshop and began looking for a new engraver: this is how he met Robert Havell Sr. and his son Robert Havell Jr. With the help of the younger Havell four volumes of “The Birds of America” were produced.

1827

Edinburgh: a meeting with Walter Scott

In January 1827, after Audubon's watercolour exhibition opened at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the meeting with Walter Scott that he had dreamed of took place, although the writer had just been declared bankrupt and had lost his wife. Scott wrote that he wished he had gone to see the drawings, but had heard so much about them that he resolved not to see them; Audubon showed him his paintings during a second visit.

1830

Begins publishing the “Ornithological Biography”

Having toured the British Isles with his wife, Audubon settled in Edinburgh in October 1830 and began publishing the “Ornithological Biography”, the text describing the species shown in “The Birds of America”. The five volumes, issued in 1831–1838, run to more than three thousand pages.

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.