'Red-tailed Hawk' from Vol. 1 of The Birds of America, 1827
Hand-coloured etching and aquatint
Darwin never forgot a particular experience of his student years in Edinburgh: seeing Audubon present his magnificent drawings for The Birds of America to a scientific gathering. Audubon’s sense of the dynamism of nature, especially in scenes of birds of prey swooping to kill, or competing for food, anticipates Darwin’s interest in the 'struggle for existence.' Here we are high above the ground, watching in close-up as male and female red-tailed hawks fight fiercely over a terrified hare. Despite the violence of the subject, the design has great linear finesse and beauty.
Yale University Art Gallery, Mabel Brady Garvan Fund