Audubon arrived in England for his first visit in the summer of 1826, in search of a lithographer to assist him in preparations for The Birds of America. Soon after his arrival in London, Audubon came into friendship with André Melly. Born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1802, Melly came to England in 1820 for business reasons, eventually settling in Liverpool. Melly and Audubon immediately became good friends and they shared a great many interests, as Melly was a keen naturalist and an avid collector of insects. Throughout the autumn of 1826, Audubon and Melly upheld a tradition of eating breakfast together every Sunday.

Melly was a fervent advocate of the dominance of French printmaking and he constantly urged Audubon to proceed to Paris for the purpose of hiring a lithographer to produce his series of prints of birds. Fortunately, Melly was unsuccessful; Audubon remained in England and partnered with Robert Havell and his son to produce the engravings that became The Birds of America.

As a token of his friendship for Melly, Audubon inscribed this watercolor and presented it as a gift in September of 1826. The painting remained in the Melly family until 1945 when it was sold with the contents of a family house. It was purchased from this estate sale by a member of the current owner's family.