Almost-red Woodruff Grapes, photolithograph antique print. Hedrick c1908.

by Hedrick, U.P.

Red Grapes antique print - with vine and leaves c1908.

Original photolithograph for horticulturist, U.P. Hedrick's The Grapes of New York published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1908. This beautiful illustration was produced by photographing each fruit with four colour-record negatives from which the final colour plate could be printed.

From 1905 to 1925 the USDA published fine illustrations of fruit being grown in the U.S. The earliest of these were wonderful fruit lithographs for Apples of New York, for Station horticulturist Spencer Ambrose Beach (1860-1922). From 1883 to 1900 Beach's research included over 700 species of apples and crabapples!  Over a period of 18 years, horticulturist, Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick (1870-1951) continued the work, and was responsible for six beautifully illustrated works on grapes, plums, cherries, peaches, pears and small fruits.

Page size is 280 x 225mm (11 x 9 inches). Slight damage down edge of left-hand side of page.