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Black Skimmer by John James Audubon

John James Audubon, Havell edition, 1827–1838 (engraved, printed and coloured by Robert Havell)

$130.00

Item no. PDJAW014-00

Order within 30d 21h 12m 20s to have it by ChristmasOrder by Mon, Nov 30, 11:59 PM ET

A seabird skimming the waves: Audubon’s Black Skimmer from The Birds of America, on canvas, framed, or on fine art paper.

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Subtotal $130.00
  • Printed to order in 1–3 business days
  • Free US shipping, tracked, 5–12 business days
  • 30-day returns and exchanges
  • Damage cover included: we remake and reship
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Questions about sizes or framing? Ask us

This is a print on paper, and a careless copy bleaches the sheet white or dulls the colour. Our Audubon Black Skimmer print keeps the whole sheet, with its plate number and captions, in a warm cream, so the black wings and the red bill stand out.

Canvas, framed or paper

Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.

Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.

Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.

Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.

Sizes

12x18 inch, 16x24 inch, 20x30 inch, 24x36 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.

On your wall

Its tall sheet suits a bathroom, a beach house or a study. The black, white and sea greens look crisp with white, navy and driftwood, and a black or white frame suits it.

About the painting

Black Skimmer by John James Audubon

The Birds of America

John James Audubon set out to show every bird in America at its real size, engraved in London and coloured by hand, one plate at a time. This Black Skimmer is plate 323: a male skimming low over the water.

A strange bird

One of the most singularly endowed by nature, Audubon called it, and also the Razor-billed Shearwater. It lived on the sandy southern shores from South Carolina to the Sabine River, and he found it abundant in Texas in spring.

A black pall on the sand

By day thousands lay resting together, looking like an immense black pall spread on the sand. He saw not fewer than ten thousand in a single flock. They rest by day, he wrote, and spend the whole night on the wing, searching for food.

Listen to the story

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Read the story

John James Audubon thought this was one of the strangest birds in America.

People also called it the Razor-billed Shearwater.

One of the most singularly endowed by nature, he called it.

It lived on the sandy southern shores, from South Carolina to the Sabine River, and he found it abundant in Texas in the spring.

In spring, some travel as far north as Long Island.

By day, thousands lay resting together on the sand, so many that they looked like an immense black pall spread across the beach.

He saw not fewer than ten thousand in a single flock.

They rest by day, he wrote, and spend the whole night on the wing, searching for food.

On cloudy days, they feed as well.

Here a male skims low over the water.

Look at the black wings, and then at the red bill.

Black Skimmer. John James Audubon, plate three hundred and twenty-three of The Birds of America.

How each piece is brought to life

Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.

  1. Black Skimmer by John James Audubon: a black and white seabird with a red and black bill skimming low over grey-green water

    Graded against the original

    We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.

  2. Black Skimmer by John James Audubon as a stretched canvas above a linen lounge chair in a reading corner

    Printed for you

    Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.

  3. Black Skimmer by John James Audubon framed in natural oak above a cream sofa in a warm living room

    On your wall

    It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.

Questions

Is this the original painting?

No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.

Will the colour look flat?

This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.

Will the edges be cropped?

Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.

Which size is right for my wall?

Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.

How long does it take?

Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.

What if it arrives damaged?

Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.

Can I return it?

Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.

Printed to order

Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.

The whole painting

Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.

Free US shipping

On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.

30-day returns

Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.

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