Mark Catesby and the First Great Natural-History Prints of America

Before Audubon was born, before America was a country, an Englishman spent years wading the Carolinas, Florida and the Bahamas with a sketchbook. Mark Catesby (1683–1749) returned home to engrave and publish The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1731–1743) — the first illustrated account of North American plants and animals ever published, a feat that earned him election to the Royal Society. Every American bird print that followed, Audubon's included, stands on Catesby's shoulders. Here's his story, and the 25 framed Catesby plates you can hang today.

The First Naturalist of America

Catesby's radical idea sounds obvious now: show the bird with its world. Where European convention posed specimens against blank paper, Catesby drew his red bird in its hickory, his Baltimore bird in its tulip tree — ecology as composition, two centuries before the word existed. Because he engraved most plates himself (he couldn't afford professional engravers), his work has a direct, slightly folk-art charm that professional workshops polished away — and that's exactly what makes it feel fresh on modern walls.

The Signature Plates: Birds in Their Trees

Red Bird and Hiccory Tree — Framed from $199.49. The cardinal, as America first saw it in print — complete with Catesby's period spelling. His most beloved plate.

Baltimore Bird and Tulip Tree — Framed from $199.49. With its sibling Baltimore Bird and Catalpah, an instant oriole pair. Round out the songbird set with the Chatterer (from $235.89) and Blew Grosbeak (from $199.49).

The Herons: Catesby's Waders

Catesby Heron I — Framed from $289.09. A full six-plate heron series (I–VI, each from $289.09) — wading birds a century older than Audubon's famous herons, with a rawer, more primitive elegance. The two heron traditions hung side by side is the connoisseur's bird wall.

The Kingfishers & Butterflies

Antique Kingfisher II — Framed from $323.39 in large format, or small format from $158.19 — the collection's budget entry.

Butterfly and Botanical I — Framed from $199.49. Four butterfly plates plus the six-plate Bird & Botanical series (from $266.69) — his bird-with-habitat formula at its most decorative.

The Map

Map of Carolina, Florida & the Bahama Islands — Framed from $289.09. The map from the Natural History itself — the territory of the whole project. Hang it at the center of a Catesby wall as the literal ground his birds inhabit, or pair with our antique map collection.

The Framer's Treatment

Catesby's hand-engraved directness suits honest framing: warm walnut or simple gold frames, cream mats (his paper tones are warm), non-glare glazing. His bird-and-tree verticals hang beautifully in columns of two; the heron series makes a commanding 2×3 grid for a Lowcountry-styled room, coastal home or anywhere Southern heritage is the note.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Mark Catesby?

Mark Catesby (1683–1749) was an English naturalist who spent years studying flora and fauna in the American Southeast and Bahamas, then engraved and published The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1731–1743) — the first illustrated natural history of North America. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

How is Catesby different from Audubon?

Catesby came nearly a century earlier, engraved his own plates, and pioneered showing birds within their habitat plants. His work is more primitive and charming; Audubon's is larger and more dramatic. See our full four-master comparison.

What rooms suit Catesby prints?

Coastal and Southern-styled rooms, kitchens, breakfast nooks and hallways — anywhere warm, collected charm beats formal drama.

Are these original 18th-century plates?

These are museum-quality archival reproductions, printed on heavy art paper and custom framed to order in our New Jersey facility.

Shop the Collection

Browse all 25 plates in the Mark Catesby collection at FramedArt.com — every piece custom framed by hand in New Jersey. Continue the bird series with the four masters guide and Gould vs. Audubon.