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The Dark And Troubling History Of The Man Who Inspired The Globally Respected Audubon Society
John James Audubon’s name is generally equated with good, but he was a man with a troubling and sometimes dark life
The Audubon Society is one of the most respected organizations in the world. The conservation-minded group, which focuses on the protection of birds and their habitats, has long done important work in helping preserve and assist some of the earth’s most important resources. Named after John James Audubon, who became famous for his many bird paintings before dying nearly 200 years ago, might be expected to be quite the person. Unfortunately, to the contrary, he was not a very nice man at all, and actually killed most of the animals which were the subjects of his famous art.
Audubon was born in 1785 in Saint-Domingue (later became Haiti) where his father owned a sugar cane plantation. His father, Jean Audubon, a French naval officer, had a number of children with mistresses and relationships with his slaves outside of his marriage. One of those dalliances, with a French chamber maid named Jeanne, produced John.
Growing up in France, Audubon had a fascination with birds from an early age. After he was sent to America to avoid conscription in the…
