Museum Collections
Luce Center
Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), Havell plate no. 35
Object Number:
1863.17.35
Date:
1821
Medium:
Watercolor, graphite, pastel, black chalk, and black ink with touches of gouache and selective glazing on paper, laid on card
Dimensions:
Paper: 18 7/8 x 11 3/4 in. (47.9 x 29.8 cm)
Mat: 29 x 23 in. (73.7 x 58.4 cm)
Marks:
Watermark: TURKEY MILLS / JWHATMAN / 1817 [reversed]
Inscriptions:
Inscribed at lower left in brown ink: "Drawn from Nature by John J. Audubon / James Pirrie's Esqr. Plantation August 4th 1821"; at lower right: "Louisiana Warbler Male"; in graphite: "& female."; below in brown ink: "[crossed out]Sylvia Ludovicianna / Sylvia Childreni --"; below: "Plant"; in graphite: "…[illegilble] / Spanish…"; lower and upper birds numbered respectively in graphite: "1"; "2"; at upper right corner: "35"
Description:
Immature above; male below. Audubon originally called this bird Children's Warbler after John George Children (1777-1852), a fellow and secretary of the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge.
Gallery Label:
The background flora has been identified as Coffee senna (cassia occidentalis). The female bird was painted on August 4 and the young bird was added on August 29.
Credit Line:
Purchased for the Society by public subscription from Mrs. John J. Audubon
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.