Louis Agassiz Fuertes
| Louis Agassiz Fuertes | |
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Louis Agassiz Fuertes
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| Born | February 7, 1874 Ithaca, New York |
| Died | August 22, 1927 (aged 53) Unadilla, New York |
| Occupation | Ornithologist, illustrator and artist |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret F. Sumner |
Louis Agassiz Fuertes (February 7, 1874 Ithaca, New York – August 22, 1927 Unadilla, New York) was an American ornithologist, illustrator and artist.
He set the rigorous and current-day standards for ornithological art and naturalist depiction and is considered as one of the most prolific American bird artists, second only to his guiding professional predecessor John James Audubon.
He made untold thousands of bird paintings and sketches in various mediums, based on studies in nature and details from fresh specimens, that illustrate his extensive range of ornithological works.
Tragically, he died in a car accident near New York, shortly after returning from an expedition to Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia in North Africa).
To this day, his name is commemorated in two species. One is a species described by Frank Chapman as Icterus fuertesi, although it is now considered a subspecies of the orchard oriole. The other, Fuertes' parrot, or Hapalopsittaca fuertesi, was rediscovered in 2002 after 91 years of presumed extinction.
He influenced several other wildlife artists after him, in addition to mentoring George Miksch Sutton. The Wilson Ornithological Society instituted an award in his memory in 1947.
Fuertes was born in Ithaca, New York, and was the son of Estevan and Mary Stone Perry Fuertes. His father came from a prominent European-descended Puerto Rican family who was also the renown founding professor of the School of Civil Engineering at Cornell University, and for many years served as the dean of the college.
Estevan named his son after the Swiss-born American naturalist Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807–1873). Fuertes's mother, born in Troy, was of Dutch ancestry.
Young Louis became interested in birds at very early age, securing birds with a slingshot and examining them carefully.
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