Australian Gastrolobium spinosum. Spinous-leaved Gastrolobium Paxton botanical c1840

by Paxton, Joseph

Australian Spiny Gastrolobium antique print c1840. From the accompanying text, we known that the seeds of this Australian native were imported to England from the Swan River colony settlement in Western Australia. (Text available)

Original hand-coloured lithograph, drawn and lithographed by Samuel Holden for "Paxton's Magazine of Botany & Flowering Plants" published in London circa 1840 by Sir Joseph Paxton.

Sir Joseph Paxton (1803-1865) was a hugely talented man. Starting as a gardener at 15 years of age, with no formal education, his skill and enthusiasm were rewarded by promotion at the age of 23 to Head Gardener on the Duke of Devonshire’s Chatsworth estate, one of England’s finest gardens. Although considered a landscape gardener, Paxton’s diverse talents gained him a reputation as both architect and engineer, particularly for his design of glasshouses. His design for the glass house conservatory at Chatsworth served as a model for Paxton’s design of the Crystal Palace for the London Exhibition of 1851 (for which he received his knighthood).

Size of page 230 x 150mm ( 9 x 6 inches).