This collection of engravings of "The First 28 Presidents of the United States", was done sometime after the end of 1922 by the French engraver, P.(Paul) Raymond Audibert, of Paris. Each engraving is 5 inches by 7 inches. These engravings were published as a leather-boxed collectors set. THIS SET IS FOR SALE: $20,000.00 US Dollars

I have been unable to find much information regarding Mr. Audibert other than he was the chosen artist to paint the late great RAILROAD MAGNATE, JAMES JEROME HILL.

ADDITIONALLY: Information as of 10/23/03 is given by a visitor to this site by the name of ANNIE who has furnished the following information in her emails which I will reprint here by her personal permission:
"I referred to the set as lithographs, how ever they are engravings. They are also in the leatherbound case. My mother contacted the White House curator approximately 30 years ago concerning this art. Her letter in reply on White House stationary has since been stolen. The curator stated that the White House set was donated by a man who was told that only three copies were made and the plates destroyed. We know this not to be true because there are known to be copies also located in New York and Chicago. With your set, that brings the count to 5."
"My mother also contacted the Louvre in France. She recieved a letter written in French. The jest of the letter was that they had never heard of P. Raymond Audibert. And, as I seem to recall, the White House curator seemed to feel that perhaps this art was commissioned by President Wilson. Although it was not confirmed. Being that it has been 30 years, perhaps the current White House curator has learned more. And, yes, you may quote me on your website. Thank you! I will pass on anymore information I can find. I have noticed that during the later 1800's, a fair amount of Audibert families moved from France to Louisiana. Maybe there's a clue in that. Thanks, again." A.M.

and additionally,

"Indiana State University Library owns a collection of history books. One of them is described as follows:
Mace's Primary History: Stories of Heroism
illustrated by: Homer W. Colby
portraits by: Jacques Reich and P.R. Audibert
Chicago, New York and London
Rand McNally and Company c1909
336 pp.
Also found that there are several Audibert's from France who were engravers. Including Jean Baptiste Audibert. Born in Rochefort in 1759 and listed as dying in 1800. Possibly an ancester to P. Raymond Audibert.", signed A.M.
END of submission,
and much thanks for Annie's information!

James J. Hill, founder of the GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM, THE GREAT NORTHERN TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILWAY, financier. Mr Hill and his wife, Mary, had their portraits done by Audibert, and donated by their daughter in 1934 after their deaths to the J.J. HILL Museum and Reference Library, St. Paul,Mn. Hill was an avid collector of paintings by various artists.

James J. Hill was an important railroad builder who controlled three major railway systems and eventually became the largest owner of railroads in the United States,from his base in the Twin Cities. When Hill died in May 1916, all wheels on the railroad system he controlled stopped, during his funeral.

James and Mary Hill's children continued their strong support of the library after their parents death, both financially and in other important ways, throughout those troubled years. In 1934, for example, daughter Mary Frances Hill donated a number of important family artifacts, among them was the portraits of James and Mary Hill, by the artist, Paul Raymond Audibert.

Since much of this work was published into the public domain so many years ago, copyrights of the original engravings have expired. I have tried to recreate exacting digital copies of these examples to post for general viewing. All images ©Mickey Cox 2001. If you would like to use a copy of any of these postings in a format other than "gif", please refer to the last paragraph below.

All of these digital reproductions have been compiled from large 16-20mb files in the "Adobe Photoshop 6.0 'psd' format" and have been 'cleaned' of most of the yellowing of age from the original scans.

As part of this original collection of engravings by Mr. Audibert, each 5 x 7 inch engraving includes a full page profile/biographical background history, taken from individual sources for each respective president, and many times, written by peers of their own generations. As time allows, I will be posting their inclusions as separate pages linked to each president's engraving. Many of the profiles were statements read into the public records in various seats of government, i.e., Congressional Record, House of Representatives, etc. Because of this, most of the background statements are, and remain, public record. Exceptions to these conditions will be copyrighted ©Mickey Cox 2002, and noted when applicable. Reproductions of the copyrighted material is granted to all for private use/research. Any printed reproductions should reflect a visible credit of ©Mickey Cox 2002.

Please do not include these "jpg" images on any CD-Roms or any other distributed media without written consent from Mickey Cox/The Right Image Photography. These images are not to be resold or remarketed. All are copyright protected by "Digimarc" watermarks. These images are free to use in any private manner, for academics and/or research. As previously stated, printed reproductions must be listed with a visible copyright of "©Mickey Cox 2002". If you plan to use these images commercially, or online, please contact Mickey Cox/The Right Image Photography at the contact point listed below.

or,  Fax: 702-837-7322