The images below are watercolour sketches by Isaac Sprague from the 1840s.
Black Throated Green Warbler
“A single male bird is depicted on a branch of red maple with seeds”
“Isaac Sprague (1811–1895) was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, and apprenticed with his uncle as a carriage painter. He was a self-taught landscape, botanical and ornithological painter. Sprague served as one of the assistants to John James Audubon on an ornithological expedition up the Missouri River (1843), taking measurements and making sketches. His diary of this expedition is in the Boston Athenæum.” [source]
…
In 1845, Sprague met Asa Gray (1810–1888) of Harvard College, and, over many years, Sprague illustrated several of Gray’s works, including the plates for the atlas (1857) to “Botany. Phanerogamia” in Charles Wilkes’ United States Exploring Expedition During the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 (1845–1876).[1] He also illustrated Asa Gray and John Torrey’s various volumes of the U. S. War Department’s Reports… (1855–1860), as well as works for George B. Emerson, George Goodale, and Alpheus Baker Hervey.
In 1960, Harvard University’s Houghton Library exhibited approximately 100 of Sprague’s paintings, drawings and illustrations. In 2003, Sprague’s works were included in the Hunt Institute’s exhibition American Botanical Prints of Two Centuries.
“The Athenæum is fortunate to have seventy-four of Sprague’s watercolor paintings of birds, drawn between 1839 and 1842.” [source]
- The ‘Art of Isaac Sprague’ collection is online at the Boston Athenæum website. [browse all images] [alternative collection landing page]
- The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation has a page of biography/resources in relation to Isaac Sprague.
- The Hunt Institute (Carnegie Mellon University) also has a collection of thumbnail images of Sprague’s meticulous botanical line sketches in pencil, lithographic and engraved formats.
American Goldfinch
“The goldfinch is perched on a stalk of chicory”
Screech Owl – Red Owl
“A single owl is depicted perched on a branch
holding a rodent with the claws of its right foot”
Pine Grosbeak
“A male and female grosbeak are depicted on pine bough”
Kingfisher
“A single kingfisher is depicted perched on a bare branch”
Golden Winged Woodpecker
“A single bird is shown perched on a bare branch.
‘Golden winged woodpecker’ and the date are inscribed
in graphite at the bottom of the sheet below the image.
The bird depicted is now known as the yellow-shafted flicker”
Connecticut Warbler
“The single bird is depicted perched on a flowering branch of witch hazel”
Chipping Sparrow
“The sparrow is perched on a flowering branch which also holds a nest
containing four blue-green eggs. The background is a deep brown.”
Chipmunk
“The chipmunk is perched on an ear of corn.
The date is written in graphite below the chipmunk’s tail.”
http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2012/02/spragues-natural-history.html#:~:text=Cedar%20Waxwing,on%20the%20sheet%22
Cat Bird
“A single bird is depicted perched on a branch.
Virginia creeper in fall color is twisted around the branch”
Witherod
“Two details of witherod (Viburnum cassinoides), a
shrub also known as wild raisin. One detail of the
leaves and flower, another of the leaves and fruit.”
Snow Bunting
“Two snow buntings are depicted, one on the ground and another in flight”
Six Bird’s Eggs
Prunus serotina
“A branch of the black cherry tree is depicted with seven leaves in autumn color”
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