A Touch of Crass

ANNOUNCING: A new, recurring CultureGrrl feature, highlighting those bad-taste, “what were they thinking?” moments at arts institutions that ought to know better.
First up: the New-York Historical Society, in cahoots with the New York Times, offering online and in the newspaper “a special collection of limited-edition prints from the original, hand-colored engravings of wildlife artist John James Audubon.” There are 22 birds in all.
Drawn from the Society’s collection, these so-called limited editions—each one 1,500 copies strong—are likely to be hawked (pardon pun) for a long, long time. The Times has been inflicting these ads on us since at least last summer—one just yesterday, Page 7 of the Business section. Where is Michael Kimmelman when we need him?
For your $495, you also get “a certificate of authentication.” Authentic what? Modern reproductions of 19th-century prints?