AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851).
Nashville Warbler, Plate 89.
Aquatint engraving with original hand color.
London: Robert Havell, 1827-1838.
38 5/8" x 25 1/2" sheet.

Provenance: John Vickers Painter Collection.

Comparable: Christie's, 10/15/1982 - $1,870; Skinner, 2013 - $900.

"The flight of this little bird is short, light, and entirely similar to that of the numerous species of Sylvia already described. Its food consists of insects and larva, which it procures by searching diligently and actively amongst the leaves and buds of low trees. It does not pursue insects on wing. With the exception of a few low, eagerly repeated, creaking notes, I have not heard any sounds from them. While uttering these notes, which are all the species seem to have in lieu of song, the male stands erect and still. I am not aware of its nest having been discovered or described by any naturalist" (Audubon's Ornithological Biography, 1831).