Audubon Aquatint, White Heron - The symbol of the National Audubon Society

AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
White Heron, Plate 386.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
25 3/4" x 38 1/2" sheet, 37" x 49 1/2" framed.

Comparables: Christie's, 2004 - $57,360; Guernsey's, 2013 - $42,700.

The symbol of the National Audubon Society.

A tall, stately white wader of quiet waters. Common, especially in the south, it may wander far to the north in late summer. Nearly wiped out in the United States in the late 1800s, when its plumes were sought for use in fashion, the Great Egret made a comeback after early conservationists put a stop to the slaughter and protected its colonies.