- Author: J. T. Bowen after John James Audubon
- Date: 1848
- Condition: Archivally framed in our best framing - call for photos. Image excellent, Vibrant contemporary hand color, paper bright and creamy, extremely mild scattered foxing, subtle horizontal crease running beneath page no. about 3.75"
- Inches: 28 x 22 [Paper]
- Centimeters: 71.12 x 55.88 [Paper]
- Product ID: 308307
Quintessentially Texan – The Audubon Armadillo
This original hand-colored lithograph of the Nine-Banded Armadillo was published in 1848 by J.T. Bowen after a drawing by John James Audubon, with contributions by his son, John Woodhouse Audubon. It was created for Audubon’s monumental series, The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, which sought to document all known North American mammals with the same artistic thoroughness as his earlier Birds of America. This plate, depicting the nine-banded armadillo at natural size, is celebrated for its scientific accuracy, color, and lush environmental detail, characterizing the high standards set by the project.
The plate features a finely rendered nine-banded armadillo posed in its natural habitat, surrounded by prickly vegetation that echoes the Texas and southern terrains where the animal is commonly found. The lithograph’s inscription reads: Drawn from Nature by J. W. Audubon. Dasypus Peba, Desm. / Nine-Banded Armadillo. / Male. / Natural Size. Lith’d Printed & Col’d by J.T. Bowen, Philad'a 1848. This combination of scientific observation and artistic interpretation exemplifies the Audubon legacy and the collaborative effort between father and son during the later stages of John James Audubon’s career.
Audubon and his collaborators traveled extensively to collect firsthand notes and specimens, culminating in an expedition up the Missouri River in 1843. However, by the mid-1840s, Audubon’s health was declining, and he increasingly relied on his son, John Woodhouse Audubon, for the execution of these striking illustrations. The resulting lithographs were issued in a large “Imperial Folio” format, with plate sizes around 22 by 28 inches, and finished with meticulous hand coloring, as seen in this striking representation of Dasypus peba.
John T. Bowen, a leading Philadelphia lithographer, was commissioned to translate the Audubons’ watercolors and sketches into detailed lithographic plates. His work is noted for its precision and capacity to faithfully render intricate textures such as the armadillo's armor-like bands. Each print in the series, including Plate CXLVI, reflects Bowen’s skill in conveying Audubon's vision—melding zoological accuracy with visual elegance, and setting a standard for nineteenth-century natural history illustration.
The original edition of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America is highly prized by collectors and institutions for its historic and artistic value. While a smaller multivolume edition was also published in the 1850s, the 1845–1848 Imperial Folio edition which this plate came from remains definitive. Plate CXLVI is an iconic example, combining the Audubons’ pioneering field research, Bowen’s artistry, and the period’s scientific curiosity, resulting in a lasting contribution to the documentation of American wildlife and visual culture.
References
Audubon, John James, John Woodhouse Audubon, and John Bachman. The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. New York: J.J. Audubon, 1845–1848. (Original folio edition; plates and accompanying text. Digital facsimile available via the Internet Archive and Biodiversity Heritage Library).
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “Dasypus Peba–Desm. (Nine-Banded Armadillo) | All Works.”
Stark Museum of Art. “Nine-Banded Armadillo.”
Louisiana State University Libraries, Special Collections. “John James Audubon - Research Guides.” In-depth scholarly essay covering the context, contributors, and editions of The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.
Museum of the Southwest. “Audubon: Quadrupeds of North America.”
University of Michigan Library, Clements Library & Digital Collections. “John James Audubon's Birds of America and Viviparous Quadrupeds.”