Printed to order

Brown Pelican by John James Audubon

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

$130.00

Item no. PDJAW013-00

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A great pelican on a mangrove branch: Audubon’s Brown Pelican from The Birds of America, on canvas, framed, or on fine art paper.

Format

Stretched canvasfrom $130 Framed canvasfrom $160 Framed printfrom $160 Fine art printfrom $80

Size

Which size fits your wall

Every size keeps the painting's own proportions. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.

12 × 18 in 30 × 46 cm

Three-seat sofa, 84 in wide × 34 in tall (213 × 86 cm)

Size	Metric	Where it works
12 × 18 in	30 × 46 cm	Small and close-up: a shelf, a desk or a bedside table, or one of a pair on a narrow wall.
16 × 24 in	41 × 61 cm	Plays well with others: the middle of a gallery wall, a pair side by side, or a hallway on its own.
20 × 30 in	51 × 76 cm	Plays well with others: the middle of a gallery wall, a pair side by side, or a hallway on its own.
24 × 36 in	61 × 91 cm	Holds a wall on its own above a dresser, console or sideboard. Above a bed or a sofa, hang two side by side.

Rule of thumb: choose art about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it.

12 × 18 in30 × 46 cm 16 × 24 in41 × 61 cm 20 × 30 in51 × 76 cm 24 × 36 in61 × 91 cm

Frame

Black White Natural wood Dark wood

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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 Brown Pelican print keeps the whole sheet, with its plate number and captions, in a warm cream, so the soft greys and browns of the feathers 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 hallway, and it is lovely in a coastal room. The greys and browns look calm with white, sand and driftwood, and a natural or white frame suits it.

About the painting

Brown Pelican 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 Brown Pelican is plate 251: a male perched on a mangrove.

The Florida Keys

Audubon found the Brown Pelican living all year on the Florida Keys and salt-water inlets. He first saw them in numbers south of St Augustine, and then sailed the Keys aboard a government ship, the Marion. Already their numbers were falling: in Charleston’s bay, where they had once been plentiful, few were left.

Pelicans at the wharf

At Key West they flew within pistol-shot of the wharfs, and boys threw stones at them. Around the anchored ship there were pelicans all day long, some fishing, some, he wrote, slumbering as it were on the bosom of the ocean.

Listen to the story

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Read the story

In Key West, in the 1830s, there were pelicans everywhere.

John James Audubon found the Brown Pelican living all year on the Florida Keys and the salt-water inlets, never in fresh water.

His friend John Bulow even took him by barge to see them at the Halifax inlet.

He first saw them in numbers south of Saint Augustine. Then he sailed the Keys aboard a government ship, the Marion.

At Key West they flew within pistol-shot of the wharfs, and boys threw stones at them.

Around the anchored ship there were pelicans all day long, some fishing, and some, he wrote, slumbering as it were on the bosom of the ocean.

Already, though, their numbers were falling. In Charleston's bay, where they'd once been plentiful, few were left.

Here he shows a male, perched on a mangrove branch.

Look at the long bill, and then at the mangrove leaves.

Brown Pelican. John James Audubon, plate two hundred and fifty-one of The Birds of America.

Portrait by John Syme, 1826.

The artist

John James Audubon

1785–1851 · Naturalism

American naturalist and artist who set out to paint every bird in North America, life-size. His paintings were engraved and coloured by hand for The Birds of America, a giant book printed in London.

More by John James Audubon

The original

Artist: John James Audubon (1785–1851)
Date: Havell edition, 1827–1838 (engraved, printed and coloured by Robert Havell)
Medium: Hand-coloured engraving and aquatint
Where it hangs today: The Birds of America, plate 251
Originals: One impression of a print made in many
Original size: Double elephant folio sheet

Graded against the original: true to the artist’s colours, brought back to life for your wall.

How each piece is brought to life

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

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.
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.
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.