You'll have to wait another 10 years to see the 40 original watercolors by James Audubon now on view at the New-York Historical Society until April 5th. Due to their sensitivity to light, these national treasures can only be exhibited for a short period, then are returned to storage, not to be shown again for another 10 years. We never gave much thought to what Audubon went through to create his monumental Birds of America until we read Audubon, Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier by Jennifer Armstrong with fabulous illustrations by Jos. A. Smith.
This was one brave, rugged, intrepid adventurer. Today he'd have an action figure and no doubt his own line of wilderness gear. On his travels he encountered wolves, bears and Daniel Boone; survived an earthquake; sought shelter in a hollow tree that turned out to be home for a thousand or so swifts; and watched amazed one noon as a solid mass of passenger pigeons filled the sky, blocking out the sun as if there'd been an eclipse, flapping wings creating a roar and leaving behind copious amounts of bird poop.We have two copies left. It's a great gift for a budding explorer, naturalist or lover of daring-do.
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