Maryland Marmot, Woodchuck, Groundhog
Artist
John James Audubon
(American, 1785 - 1851)
Date1842
Mediumlithograph on paper, hand-colored
Dimensions19 5/8 × 26 5/8 inches (49.8 × 67.6 cm)
Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 2001
Object number91.100.216.4
ClassificationsPrints
Label TextJohn James Audubon included a depiction of the Groundhog in his publication on four-legged animals. He and co-author The Rev. John Bachman wrote about the hibernation of this species. They observed that the groundhog becomes inactive in the winter. This happens when “the leaves have fallen from the trees in autumn and the frosty air gives notice of the approach of winter.” They noted that the groundhog “remains burrowed in the earth until the grass has sprung up and the genial warmth of spring invites it to come forth.”
ProvenanceCharles Yale Bookseller, Pasadena, California; gifted c. 1944 to Mr. and Mrs. Howard L. Weigers (Professor Emeritus University of Nebraska-Lincoln as of September 1, 2001); purchased May 22, 2001 through (Anderson O'Brien Fine Art Gallery, Omaha, Nebraska) by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art
On View
Not on view
