Flora Londinensis. Anagallis caerulea. Blue Pimpernel antique print. c1820

by William Curtis

Lysimachiae foemina, Blue Pimpernel or poor man's weatherglass.

Delightful original copperplate engraving (particularly of detailed dissections, at base). engraved by Joseph Swan, with contemporary hand-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 in the vicinity of London.

While he was Praefectus Hortis (garden superintendent and botanical demonstrator to the Society of Apothecaries) of Chelsea Physic Garden in London, William Curtis (1746-1799) began publishing in 'parts' life-size hand-coloured copperplate engravings of all plants growing wild around London. Curtis left his Chelsea Physic Garden position and bought land to establish his own botanic gardens at Lambeth Marsh. 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).

A delightful illustration filling the page. With accompanying descriptive text. Page size is 470 x 285mm (18 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches).