Louisiana Heron, c. 1832 by John James Audubon

Louisiana Heron, by John James Audubon captures the slender wading bird with its head thrown back in a moment of preening, its blue-gray plumage set against a Florida Key backdrop of palms and dense shrubs. Audubon called the species “the Lady of the Waters” and considered the composition, painted with backgrounds contributed by George Lehman, among his most accomplished.

Artist: John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851). Date: 1832.

Louisiana Heron. Hand-Colored Engraving Reproduction Canvas Print.