Images(2)

Sir [J. Backhouse]

Author John James Audubon (American, 1785 - 1851)

DateFebruary 24, 1838

Mediumpen and ink on paper

Dimensions8 7/8 x 14 7/8 inches (22.5 x 37.8 cm)

Credit LineBequest of H.J. Lutcher Stark, 1965

Object number11.1.113

ClassificationsDocumentary Artifacts

Label TextIn addition to being an artist and an author, John James Audubon had to be a salesperson. He sold The Birds of America by subscription. Subscribers would receive five prints at a time as Audubon had the works printed. The artist wrote this letter to a purchaser who seemed to have lapsed his participation. Audubon warned John Backhouse that the project was nearly complete. If Backhouse wanted his copy to be “perfect,” he needed to write to Audubon to continue receiving the last numbers. Unfortunately, Backhouse’s name disappeared from later lists of Audubon’s subscribers.

ProvenancePurchased February 24, 1964 through (Nada Kramar, Washington, DC) by H.J. Lutcher Stark [1887-1965]; bequeathed September 2, 1965 to the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

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