Sengreen Draba, Whitlow Grass. William Curtis antique print c1791.

by William Curtis

Pretty Whitlow Grass, finely engraved by Sydenham Edwards.

Original hand-coloured copperplate engraving by Francis Sansom after a drawing by the eminent Welsh botanical illustrator Sydenham Edwards for The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed published in London circa 1804 by T. Curtis. Illustrations for The Botanical Magazine have been revered for their scientific accuracy, and the natural pigments used in the early engravings have survived over two hundred years, ensuring their beauty endures today.

Publication of The Botanical Magazine was begun in 1787 by William Curtis (1746-1799) Praefectus Hortis of Chelsea Physic Garden in London, “in response.. to solicitations for a work... (combining) Botany and Gardening”. Illustrating botanical specimens from around the world, this publication has been published continuously for nearly 240 years, now as Kew Magazine.

Size of page 23 x 14cm (9 x 5.5 inches).