Audubon presentation and tour of Audubon exhibit

Audubon presentation on Thursday evening, Oct 27

We are all familiar with the bird paintings of John Audubon (1785-1851). What we don’t know about his work and how he did it may surprise some. On Thursday, October 27, Tom Reh of the Mercantile Library will talk on JJ Audubon and show one piece of Audubon’s work from The Birds of America. Audubon remains the premier ornithological artist in the world and has a St. Louis connection! Tom will also briefly describe the exhibit at the Mercantile Library.
Two days later, on Saturday, October 29, SCHS members will tour the exhibit in person at the Mercantile Library. The exhibit features illustrations by James Audubon among other works of natural history. Tour led by Tom Reh. Come, learn about this American naturalist and cultural icon.
Doors on Thursday night open at 6:30 pm to browse displays and to meet the speaker for the evening.
Brief business meeting at 7:00 pm finishing about 7:20, then refreshments are served followed by the presentation on Audubon. Doors close at 9:00 pm.

Please note that the date for this event is on a different night from our usual fourth Wednesday of the month. This SCHS general meeting will be held on a Thursday night.
Also note the tour on Saturday morning. See more about tour below.

Notice the venue will be at the Sperreng Middle School cafeteria on Tesson Ferry Road at Concord School Road. See directions to Sperreng Middle School. Info below about the tour on Saturday morning to the Mercantile Library at UMSL.

 

Photos below are of the Thursday night venue, Sperreng Middle School

Audubon tour on Saturday morning, Oct 29

October 29, Saturday; 10:00 am Fall Meet-at-the-Site Tour to  the Mercantile Library at UMSL to see the exhibit, “Audubon and Beyond: Collecting Five Centuries of Natural History at the St. Louis Mercantile Library.” Sign up for this Meet-at-the-Site Tour at the October 27 general meeting. Tom Reh will lead the tour. Meet at the Mercantile Library circulation desk at 10:00 am. Parking is on the third floor of the parking garage next to the Mercantile Library on the UMSL campus.

The address of the Mercantile Library is: 1 University Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63121. It is on the University of Missouri at St Louis campus (UMSL). There are entrances to the campus from Florrisant Road and Natural Bridge Road. UMSL web site
Mercantile Library web site One way to reach UMSL from South County is to take Laclede Station Road and Hanley Road to Highway 170 north. Get off at Natural Bridge Road, go east and take West Drive into the UMSL campus.

 

 

 

The Mercantile Library on the UMSL campus. See parking and walking directions below the photos.

Below is a map of the UMSL (University of Missouri St Louis) campus. The Fall SCHS Meet-at-the-Site Tour is to the Mercantile Library on the UMSL campus, Saturday, Oct 29 at 10:00 am. On Saturday morning, parking will not be a problem. Park on the third floor of the parking garage and walk straight out onto the grassy quadrangle. Follow the sidewalk past the pyramid and enter the University Libraries building pictured above. Go through the turn styles, walk straight ahead until you see stairs leading down on your left. Go down the stairs or take the elevator to the main entry area of the Mercantile Library. We will meet near the circulation desk at 10:00 am for our tour with Tom Reh, Mercantile Library docent.

Background information about John James Audubon

American naturalist and cultural icon

http://www.gallerydirectart.com/aud-206.html#.V_DO0IXOLAo

http://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/american-flamingo

Further Resources

John J Audubon

http://www.audubon.org/content/john-james-audubon

http://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america – large files of each bird

http://www.audubon.org/news/john-james-audubon-crazy-wrong-or-neither

http://www.biography.com/people/john-james-audubon-9192248

http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-james-audubon-354.php

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/john-james-audubon-drawn-from-nature/106/

http://www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Audubon-John-James.html

Natural history

Natural History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Natural_Sciences_of_Drexel_University

Famous naturalists

Questions to think about before Tom Reh’s presentation

What nationality was Audubon?
Why did he start drawing birds?
How did he support himself and his family while drawing birds?
Were there are other people drawing birds at that time?
If there were, how were they similar to or different from Audubon?
What is it about Audubon’s bird illustrations that appeals to us?
What was the media that Audubon used for his illustrations? Watercolor? Oil? Pencils? Tempera? Acrylic?
What contribution does the work of Audubon make to art or to the understanding of nature?
How does the kind of work that Audubon did compare to photography?
Are people today still doing the kind of work that Audubon did? If so, who are they and what are they doing?

The print below is by Currier and Ives, one generation after Audubon, post Civil War. A different style. Very popular. What is your preferred style?

Great Horned Owl
Color engraving by R. Havell, after drawing by John J. Audubon.
Illus. in: The birds of America / John James Audubon. 4 vol. London, 1827-1838 (Elephant Folio), Vol. I, Pl. 61.
Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002718993/