Say’s Least Shrew (Sorex parvus) by John Woodhouse Audubon, 1845
20% off 2 — 33% off 3
Add any two eligible items to your bag to receive 20% off. Add a third and it will be complimentary (equivalent to 33% off when purchasing three).
No code needed — the offer applies automatically at checkout.
Valid on all standard maps and fine art prints. You can mix and match any designs.
If you’d like to ship items to multiple addresses, please contact us before placing your order.
Custom and bespoke commissions are excluded.
Contact us if you have any questions
20% off 2 — 33% off 3
Add any two eligible items to your bag to receive 20% off. Add a third and it will be complimentary (equivalent to 33% off when purchasing three).
No code needed — the offer applies automatically at checkout.
Valid on all standard maps and fine art prints. You can mix and match any designs.
If you’d like to ship items to multiple addresses, please contact us before placing your order.
Custom and bespoke commissions are excluded.
Contact us if you have any questions
Designed in London Made in the USA
Designed in London • Made in the USA
Restored from the original 1845 artwork and printed to museum-grade archival standards. Read the full description below.
Choose your size
Choose your finish
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Gift message & custom finish
If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
Every order is custom made, so if you need the size adjusted slightly, or printed on an unusual material, just let us know. We've done thousands of custom orders over the years, so there's (almost) nothing we can't manage.
You can also contact us before you order, if you prefer!
- Made locally for fast, safe delivery
- No import duty or hidden fees
- Need advice? Call us or message on WhatsApp
Chosen by collectors, designers and gift buyers
8,000+ five-star reviews
John Woodhouse Audubon’s Sorex parvus, Say’s Least Shrew. Natural size. (1845–1848) is a superb example of 19th-century natural history illustration at its...
Read the full product descriptionJohn Woodhouse Audubon’s Sorex parvus, Say’s Least Shrew. Natural size. (1845–1848) is a superb example of 19th-century natural history illustration at its most exacting and elegant. Created during the Victorian era’s surge of interest in the natural sciences, the work presents a life‑size portrait of one of North America’s tiniest mammals with a clarity meant for field study as much as for the drawing room. The composition is spare and focused: the diminutive shrew arcs gently over warm, earthy ground, set against fresh green foliage and a clean, light field that keeps the eye on the animal’s delicate form.
This listing offers a museum-quality fine art print of the artwork, available on acid‑free archival paper or on artist’s cotton canvas. Choose from a range of sizes to suit anything from a study nook to a feature wall. The Unique Maps Co. can frame your print to order, add tasteful borders, or personalize it with a caption or dedication. Custom sizing and color‑calibrated proofs are also available to ensure the perfect fit for your space.
John Woodhouse Audubon (1812–1862), son of the famed John James Audubon, carried forward his family’s passion for documenting the natural world. A principal artist for The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1845–1848), he balanced scientific accuracy with painterly sensitivity, producing plates that were both authoritative and aesthetically refined. His training in the field, often under challenging conditions, lent his animals the alert postures and tactile details that distinguish his best work.
The subject here—labeled Sorex parvus, Say’s Least Shrew—reflects the era’s evolving taxonomy and the period’s ambition to catalog North American fauna for scientists and the public alike. The shrew’s minute size and quick, ground‑hugging life made it a difficult creature to observe, so images like this served as vital records for identification and study. By presenting the animal at natural size, Audubon emphasizes both its fragility and its resilience, inviting viewers to consider the hidden lives unfolding in leaf litter and underbrush.
Color and design are deployed with enviable restraint. Verdant greens in the leaves are modeled with soft, layered strokes, while the soil is rendered in subtle browns touched with warm, orangish notes that suggest sunlit earth. The shrew’s fur is described through delicate tonal gradations rather than hard contours, heightening the sense of softness and motion. Negative space and a pale ground keep the composition luminous and readable from across a room—one reason this print feels as at home in a modern interior as in a traditional library. For naturalists and design lovers alike, it offers a rare blend of scientific clarity and timeless visual harmony.
This fine art print makes a thoughtful gift for wildlife enthusiasts, biologists, teachers, and anyone who appreciates Victorian-era natural history. It’s perfect for Christmas, birthdays, Mother’s or Father’s Day, a housewarming, or as a keepsake for someone who has recently explored North America’s woodlands and prairies.
If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.
You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.
You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.
The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.
I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.
This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.
This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.
John Woodhouse Audubon’s Sorex parvus, Say’s Least Shrew. Natural size. (1845–1848) is a superb example of 19th-century natural history illustration at its most exacting and elegant. Created during the Victorian era’s surge of interest in the natural sciences, the work presents a life‑size portrait of one of North America’s tiniest mammals with a clarity meant for field study as much as for the drawing room. The composition is spare and focused: the diminutive shrew arcs gently over warm, earthy ground, set against fresh green foliage and a clean, light field that keeps the eye on the animal’s delicate form.
This listing offers a museum-quality fine art print of the artwork, available on acid‑free archival paper or on artist’s cotton canvas. Choose from a range of sizes to suit anything from a study nook to a feature wall. The Unique Maps Co. can frame your print to order, add tasteful borders, or personalize it with a caption or dedication. Custom sizing and color‑calibrated proofs are also available to ensure the perfect fit for your space.
John Woodhouse Audubon (1812–1862), son of the famed John James Audubon, carried forward his family’s passion for documenting the natural world. A principal artist for The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (1845–1848), he balanced scientific accuracy with painterly sensitivity, producing plates that were both authoritative and aesthetically refined. His training in the field, often under challenging conditions, lent his animals the alert postures and tactile details that distinguish his best work.
The subject here—labeled Sorex parvus, Say’s Least Shrew—reflects the era’s evolving taxonomy and the period’s ambition to catalog North American fauna for scientists and the public alike. The shrew’s minute size and quick, ground‑hugging life made it a difficult creature to observe, so images like this served as vital records for identification and study. By presenting the animal at natural size, Audubon emphasizes both its fragility and its resilience, inviting viewers to consider the hidden lives unfolding in leaf litter and underbrush.
Color and design are deployed with enviable restraint. Verdant greens in the leaves are modeled with soft, layered strokes, while the soil is rendered in subtle browns touched with warm, orangish notes that suggest sunlit earth. The shrew’s fur is described through delicate tonal gradations rather than hard contours, heightening the sense of softness and motion. Negative space and a pale ground keep the composition luminous and readable from across a room—one reason this print feels as at home in a modern interior as in a traditional library. For naturalists and design lovers alike, it offers a rare blend of scientific clarity and timeless visual harmony.
This fine art print makes a thoughtful gift for wildlife enthusiasts, biologists, teachers, and anyone who appreciates Victorian-era natural history. It’s perfect for Christmas, birthdays, Mother’s or Father’s Day, a housewarming, or as a keepsake for someone who has recently explored North America’s woodlands and prairies.
If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.
You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.
You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.
The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.
I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.
This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.
This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.
I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.
My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.
I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.
I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.
Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.
Map personalisation
If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.
The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.
To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.
Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.
Map ageing
I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.
Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.
All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.
If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!
If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.
If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.
I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.
I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.
Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.
