Plate 83 House Wren 

John James Audubon made this print of House Wrens sometime in the first half of the 19th century. It's an etching and aquatint, and it features hand-applied watercolor. Audubon made his name documenting the birdlife of the United States. But it’s easy to forget today just how little Americans in his time actually knew about their own environment. Scientific knowledge of American birds was limited. For many, they were simply a food source to be exploited. Audubon saw these birds as beautiful, complex creatures worthy of our respect and attention. The scale of Audubon’s project was immense. To identify and paint every known bird in North America was a monumental task. His images challenged people to think differently about the natural world, and his work helped to establish ornithology as a popular science. In fact, scholars still rely on Audubon’s images today. Studying Audubon's images, along with his field notes and correspondence, can offer important insights into the cultural and environmental history of the United States.