A pioneer of American ornithology, James John Audubon (1783-1851) remains among America's best-known naturalists and painters of the 19th century. His work represented a radical departure from the stilted bird paintings of the day, featuring vivid, dramatic renderings drawn from his observation of birds in the wild. Audubon's The Birds of America , published serially beginning in 1827, is probably the most famous and influential collection of bird prints in the world.