Born in Reading, England, Robert Havell was the son of an engraver, and was expected to follow that profession. Fulfilling his destiny, he is remembered for his aquatint engraving of all but the first 10 plates of John James Audubon's Birds of America. He first visited Audubon in 1839 in New York City and traveled and sketched the countryside in a homemade horse-drawn trailer, and together they had skills that were well met. He also did artwork in oil and watercolor in Hudson River style with Luminism. However, he preferred to think of himself as an engraver.

Until 1841, he lived in Brooklyn and in 1842 his travel-weary wife established a house for the family in Ossining (Sing Sing) on...