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Proof print of Florida Rat

$5,800.00

Proof print of Florida Rat (Imperial Folio Edition), signed and titled by John James Audubon in pencil.

(As found condition.)

Available with or without an original Imperial Folio Florida Rat.

$5800 without Florida Rat folio, $6600 with Florida Rat folio.

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Description

This was one of those strangely serendipitous finds that one stumbles on in a long career. It is a proof before lettering of the folio print PL 2 Florida Rat. Audubon has signed it and hand-written the title in pencil. It is available in “as found” condition, mounted to a board. There are some creases in the print and the pencil writing is light but legible. This proof can be purchased with or without a copy of the original print. In the photo below, the proof is on the left, the imperial folio plate is on the right.

The proof is well colored, but lacks all of the normal writing found on Imperial Folio prints. The paper, measuring 25 by 19 inches, is trimmed down from the regular 27-8 x 21-22 inches for an Imperial Folio plate, but the margins are ample and would normally include all of the missing nomenclature (plate and part number, artist and print credits, plus the full title) if they had been printed.

Written in pencil in the center of the bottom margin of the proof print (in Audubon’s handwriting) are the scientific and common names of the animal (as it would eventually appear on the finished plate, with two additional lines indicating the sex and age of the animals and the size of the image relative to life). In the bottom left corner is the signature “John James Audubon.”

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