Audubon Aquatint, Great White Heron

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Great White Heron, Plate 281.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
25 1/4” x 37 1/2” sheet, 37” x 49 1/2” framed.
Comparable: Christie's, 6 /25/2004 - $101,575; Arader Galleries, 2014 - $87,840.
With a View of Key-west.
I am now about to present you with an account of the habits of the largest species of the Heron tribe hitherto found in the United States, and which is indeed remarkable not only for its great size, but also for the pure white of its plumage at every period of its life . . . I ordered the dog to go near them, but not to hurt them. They waited until he went within striking distance, when the largest suddenly hit him with its bill, and bung to his nose. Plato, however, took it all in good part, and merely brought the bird towards me, when I seized it by the wings, which made it let go its bold. It walked off as proudly as any of its tribe, and I was delighted to find it possessed of so much courage.