Before Audubon: The Life and Work of Alexander Wilson

Member meeting, Wells Reserve at Laudholm

We laud John James Audubon for his remarkable work painting and describing all American bird species known in his era, but he was not the first person to undertake such a project. In this program Paul Wells of West Kennebunk will present an overview of the life of Alexander Wilson, whose own efforts to compile a comprehensive survey of American birds immediately preceded Audubon’s, and have been forever overshadowed by them. Wells will illustrate his talk with examples of Wilson’s art, as well as brief musical excerpts of tunes that Wilson — who is known to have played the flute — might have known.

About Harlequin

Harlequin is a pseudonym for content not attributed to a specific author. It echoes the name of the YCAS newsletter, The Harlequin. Watch for Harlequin Ducks along the rocky portions of the York County coast in winter. ¶ The avatar is by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, who sketched and painted the species during the Harriman Alaska Expedition. ¶ "When we got before the glacier, I saw my first pair of harlequins... the glass showed them plainly to be a ♂ + ♀ histrionicus." — L.A. Fuertes, June 7, 1899
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