Mark W. Buyck II: Audubon & Bachman

from November 2021

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Audubon & Bachman

story by Mark W. Buyck, III

John James Audubon (1785-1851) is America’s most famous wildlife painter and a noted naturalist. He spent most of his early adult life exploring, painting, and hustling to publish his masterpiece, The Birds of America. One of Audubon’s very best friends was a noted South Carolinian, John Bachman (17901874). Reverend Bachman served as Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Charleston for 56 years. He was a well-regarded naturalist in his own right. Audubon’s final work was The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. Instead of birds, Audubon focused on four-legged mammals many of which he encountered during a stay at Fort Union, North Dakota at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Several years later with Audubon’s health declining, Bachman took control of the project and saw to its completion and publication. Bachman is generally recognized as either a co-author or a collaborator in the work. Audubon was born in St. Domingue (present-day Haiti). He was the illegitimate son of a French planter and his mistress; although, he was raised in France by his stepmother. In 1803, his father sent him to a familyowned estate near Philadelphia, purportedly to avoid his conscription into Napoleon’s army. In America he began developing his painting skills in conjunction with his love of the abundant flora and fora found here at that time. It was in Pennsylvania that he met his wife, Lucy Bakewell. She would become his lifelong companion although, they were constantly apart due to his travels throughout America and Europe. In 1808 Audubon

moved to Kentucky, returning to Pennsylvania 6 months later to marry Lucy. They returned to Kentucky the day after the wedding and would have two sons (2 daughters were also born but both died in infancy). In early adulthood Audubon was not particularly successful as a businessman. During the Panic of 1819, he went bankrupt and was sent to a debtor’s prison. It was about this time that he began developing the idea for The Birds of America, a collection of prints of every bird found in the United States. Audubon traveled extensively throughout the Mississippi River region and the Southeastern states. During this period he would accept various jobs which allowed him time to pursue his interests. At one point he was an instructor at Jeferson College in Washington, Mississippi. The family relied on Lucy’s work as a teacher to make ends meet. At one point nearly 1820s, the Audubons lived together in Louisiana and many of Audubon’s works are from the New Orleans area. In 1824, Audubon made an unsuccessful trip to Philadelphia in an efort to have his works published. In 1826, discouraged with his reception in America, Audubon sailed from New Orleans to Liverpool in a final efort to win support for his project. This trip was a success. The English were infatuated with Audubon’s American backwoodsman persona, complete with birdskin hats and Native American whoops and calls. One of his first prints was the American Wild Turkey. Audubon was able to raise the funds necessary for publication of the work through subscriptions sold primarily to society’s, museums, and wealthy individuals, including King George, IV.

The subscription model provided Audubon with a steady stream of income. His publisher would print and distribute five new prints and deliver them every month or so. He only returned to America in 1829 where he was finally reunited with Lucy and his sons. Audubon spent the 1830s exploring and painting various locations in North America. He was particularly fond of Florida and Charleston. While in Charleston, Audubon lived with the Bachman family. Several of Audubon’s most famous paintings were from his visits to Charleston. The Long-Billed Curlew includes an 1830s skyline of Charleston in the background. It was in Charleston where Audubon encountered a then unknown specimen which he named the Bachman’s Warbler. Bachman was a respected member of Charleston society and one of the City’s leading citizens. With Bachman’s assistance, Audubon was able to solicit many Charlestonians for subscriptions and artwork. The Bachman and Audubon families were very close. Audubon’s two sons married two of Bachman’s daughters. There is extensive correspondence between the two men available for research. Audubon’s love for Charleston is apparent in one letter where he states “I certainly have met with more kindness in this place than anywhere else in the United States.”