Early discovery of the natural American world was recorded through sketches and drawings. For the European settlers that were seeking escape from their own lives, there was so much excitement that existed in the ‘New World.’ Many explorers and artists attempted to spread this excitement through documenting their findings to educate more people. John James Audubon was just one of many artists that focused on the new wildlife that was discovered in North America in the late 1700s.
Audubon focused on birds and in one of his still images, he illustrated a Bald Eagle. It is a powerful depiction of a large brown and white bird with a yellow beak and piercing eyes. The bird is clearly the central focus of the image as it is standing on top of a belly-up fish, impaled by the bird’s talons. Both animals are on top of a small rock that is in the foreground of a water landscape.
It is likely that someone seeing this image for the first time after its creation saw the bird as a very powerful and dominant creature. The way the Bald Eagle’s claws grasp the dead fish instantly shows the strength and force that exists within the creature. This bird also was something completely new to the people that were viewing it in Europe and other parts of the world. The beauty and newness of this animal became naturally associated with the new prospering world that is now the United States.
The Bald Eagle has come to be an extremely significant bird to our nation and its history as it represents our country with great pride. When the United States Congress wanted a seal for the new nation, they originally could not decide. The men considered biblical figures, Greek gods, and Saxon chiefs.[1] In 1782, the committee eventually decided that the bald eagle would become the nations official emblem and ever since it has represented the United States freedom. Not only is the Bald Eagle part of the National Seal, but also appears on government documents and the $1 bill. The bald eagle “…represents the entire nation’s values, traditions, and history.”[2]
The national symbol was selected by majority rule in 1782 at the Second Continental Congress. It was recorded that not everyone believed it would be the most fit bird to represent our country. In fact, Ben Franklin famously opposed the Blad Eagle as he believed the Turkey would be much more representative of our country. Ben Franklin wrote, “I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often lousy. The turkey is much more respectable bird and withal a true, original native of America.”[3] Despite Ben Frankin’s strong view about the selection for national bird, the consensus of the Bald Eagle claimed it was “a picture of strength, majestic beauty, courage and freedom.” [4]
The illustration by John James Audubon encapsulates so much about what the Bald Eagle would later come to signify to our country. Artists like Audubon greatly influenced our country’s history by educating through art the natural beauty of the New World.
[1] Sheila Griffin Llanas, “Bald Eagles,” Checkerboard Library (2013)
[2] Scholastic News, “National Symbols,” Scholastic News, Edition 4 (2022)
[3] Jeffery Rich, “Bald Eagles In The Wild: Visual Essay of America’s National Bird,” Amherst Media (2018)
[4] Jeffery Rich, “Bald Eagles In The Wild: Visual Essay of America’s National Bird,” Amherst Media (2018)