Audubon's Anomalous Animals
11/15/22 • 18 min
In this episode, Odd Salon Fellow Stuart Gripman shares the true story of the scientifically undignified pranks of one of America’s greatest ornithologists, driven to his wits’ end by an unruly rival.
In 1818, a not-yet famous John James Audubon was visited by a brilliant yet egotistical and sometimes churlish naturalist named Constantine Rafinesque. What started with an amiable conversation devolved into an ordeal as Rafinesque turned out to be a persistent, even destructive, house guest. The motivations for what Audubon did next are up for debate, but there's no question that he illustrated an array of fanciful creatures and presented them to Rafinesque as genuine. Even though his victim seemed to fall for the prank, Audubon's folly came at a price.
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In this episode, Odd Salon Fellow Stuart Gripman shares the true story of the scientifically undignified pranks of one of America’s greatest ornithologists, driven to his wits’ end by an unruly rival.
In 1818, a not-yet famous John James Audubon was visited by a brilliant yet egotistical and sometimes churlish naturalist named Constantine Rafinesque. What started with an amiable conversation devolved into an ordeal as Rafinesque turned out to be a persistent, even destructive, house guest. The motivations for what Audubon did next are up for debate, but there's no question that he illustrated an array of fanciful creatures and presented them to Rafinesque as genuine. Even though his victim seemed to fall for the prank, Audubon's folly came at a price.
For more about Odd Salon visit oddsalon.com
Join us as a Member or on Patreon
Follow us Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
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The Odd Salon Podcast - Audubon's Anomalous Animals
Transcript
The only thing John James Audubon wanted that summer evening in 1818 was a good night’s rest. What John James Audubon actually got was a thunderous ruckus echoing from his guestroom. Racing to the chamber he flung open the door to find his guest, a fellow naturalist named Constantine Rafinesque, whom Audubon had just met that afternoon, utterly naked and frantically chasing some bats that had flown into the room. Desperate to collect them as specimens, Rafinesque had taken up Audubon’s fan
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