Flora Londinensis, Pisum maritimum, Sea-side Pea antique print c1820.

by Flora Londinensis

Charming Seaside Pea botanical engraving with contemporary hand-colour.

Original copperplate engraving with contemporary colour, for Flora Londinensis, containing a history of the plants indigenous to Great Britain, illustrated by figures of the natural size - published in London between 1817 and 1828 by George Graves F.L.S. and eminent English botanist (Sir) William Jackson Hooker (1785-1865)... continuing the work begun by William Curtis (1746-1799). Graves and Hooker used the original engraved plates for William Curtis, and re-engraved those that had been reduced smaller than life-size (in an effort to meet the limited budget available to Curtis). As each specimen was engraved as close to life-size as possible, the size of the engraving platemark of each printed page varied in size for this series of beautiful plates and descriptive texts of the plants and shrubs that grew within a one hundred mile radius of London.

While he was Praefectus Hortis (Horticultural Manager) of Chelsea Physic Garden in London, William Curtis (1746-1799) began publishing in 'parts' life-size hand-coloured copperplate engravings of all plants growing wiild around London. Curtis left his Chelsea Physic Garden position and bought land to establish his own botanic gardens at Lambeth Marsh at the same time - and within a year had acquired 6,000 plant species. Although Curtis was praised for his efforts with the large Flora Londinensis, he ran out of funds (despite being subsidized for Lord Bute, who was responsible for the laying out of Kew Gardens).

(With accompanying descriptive text) page size is 470 x 285mm (18 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches).