John James Audubon (1785 -1851) was born Jean-Jacques Rabin in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). He was a French-American self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornithology lead him to make a complete pictorial record of all the bird species of North America. He was notable for his extensive studies documenting all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations, which depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His most renowned work is a color-plate book titled The Birds of America (1827–1839) is considered one of the finest ornithological studies ever assembled.
The lithograph being offered for sale is from Audubon's last great work which focused his keen powers of observation on the world of mammals. He prepared The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1845–1849) in collaboration with his good friend Rev. John Bachman of Charleston, South Carolina, who supplied much of the scientific text. His son, John Woodhouse Audubon, drew most of the plates. The work was completed by Audubon's sons and the second volume was published posthumously in 1851.