On View
On viewObject number2008.18
White Headed Eagle
Artist
John James Audubon
(American, 1785 - 1851)
Artist
Robert Havell, Jr.
(American, 1793-1878)
Date1828
Mediumengraving with hand-colored aquatint
Dimensionsimage: 38 × 25 in. (96.5 × 63.5 cm)
frame: 50 1/2 × 37 in. (128.3 × 94 cm)
frame: 50 1/2 × 37 in. (128.3 × 94 cm)
Credit LineGift of Pfizer, Inc.
Exhibition History"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).Label TextFew figures have done more to shape popular understandings of North America’s birdlife than John James Audubon. Through his monumental publication Birds of America (1827–1838), Audubon documented hundreds of bird species in detailed illustrations, combining scientific observation with dramatic compositions.
Because of its status as a national symbol, the bald eagle held an important place within Audubon’s project. Adopted as the emblem of the United States in 1782, the bird had long represented ideals of strength, independence, and national identity. By including the bald eagle in Birds of America, Audubon connected the study of the natural world to broader ideas about the nation itself, reinforcing the role of wildlife and landscape in shaping American identity and how citizens understood their country.
[Label Text: For the People: America at 250 Exhibition, June 27 - October 4, 2026]
