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Antique botanical prints challenge the distinction between art and science. We are all familiar with the work of Audubon in his great books on birds, and many engravings on botanical subjects reach the high quality of his prints, which are considered great works of art and sell for astronomical prices today.
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A Greek physician, Pedanius Dioscorides, who lived in the first century AD, is credited with the first illustrated book on plants. In his five volume work ‘De Materia Medica’ he painstakingly describes the appearances and medicinal properties of over five hundred plants. This manuscript remained the primary botanical reference for over five hundred years and is considered one of the most influential herbal books in history. 
A number of illustrated manuscripts of the Materia Medica survive, the most famous of which is the Vienna Dioscurides (512).
Unlike many other classical authors, his works were not ‘rediscovered’ in the Renaissance, because his book simply never went out of use. As a botanical resource, it was not surpassed scientifically or artistically for nearly a thousand years when the ‘Herbarius Latinus’ was produced in Germany in 1485. At this time, botanical drawings were limited to works of monastic copyists who made drawings from other books, rather than from direct observation of nature.
In the late 18th century, the era of exploration of faraway places, both flowers and art were considered symbols of culture and refinement , and prints of animals and plants became quite popular. At the same time it became possible to make this art accessible to many through technical advances in printing; a number of magazines were issued from this time onwards, the first of which is the Curtis Botanical Magazine, published in England. This magazine is generally considered to be the foremost journal for early botanical illustration, and several others followed in Curtis’ footsteps.
William Curtis was a trained pharmacist living and working in London (at the world-renowned Kew Gardens), and he was fascinated with the plant- and insect-world. He had a large garden where he grew many exotic plants and issued his first publication in 1787. The illustrations were initially hand-coloured prints, taken from copper engravings and accompanied by a page or two of text describing the plant’s properties, history, growth characteristics, and some common names for the species. The pictures were incredibly detailed and rival a modern photograph for accuracy. Although it has gone through many changes, Curtis’ magazine is still being published today by the Kew Botanical Gardens.
Another name you will surely recognize is that of Pierre Joseph Redouté who was justly famous for his illustrations of roses.
Mary Walcott became famous in the early 20th century for her renderings of native American Wildflowers, and she is sometimes referred to as ‘the Audubon of Botany’.
Today there is a revival of interest in this art form, and there are a number of very talented modern botanical artists whose work rival that of the old masters.
 | Dutch by birth but widely travelled since my late teens. Married for 25 years to an American musician, with a grown son and living in sunny Southwest Florida, I now call myself 'semi-retired' so that I can justify spending all waking hours in the pursuit of growing blooming tropical plants, most specifically Plumeria. |
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Subject: Old/Used Books
Posted by DianeEG (from Galva, IL) on April 14, 2008 at 11:33 AM:I found these two in stores for old/used books:
"Gerard's Herbal - The History of Plants" -by John Gerard; my edition edited by Marcus Woodward. Black and white illustrations but great.
"The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" by Edith Holden (A facsimile reproduction of a naturalist's diary.)
Because these are for a small audience, they can often be purchased in used book stores for very little and provide so much enjoyment. ...
Subject: What's not to love?
Posted by plumiegirl (from Estero, FL) on April 10, 2008 at 4:28 PM:Congratulations on a very nice article! Very informative. I have loved the Botanical prints and once had the prints that are poplular from a seed catalog. There was one for every month that the seeds should be blooming in. Not sure who the artist was. I'll have to do some digging to see if the current prints available show the signature. I got rid of mine when I moved.
Your friend,
Plumiegirl
... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 10, 2008 at 5:18 PM: Thanks! :-) ...
Subject: Striking!
Posted by doccat5 (from Fredericksburg, VA) on April 6, 2008 at 3:56 PM:The pictures are wonderful, thank you for sharing the information. :) ...
Subject: I love botanical prints!
Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on April 6, 2008 at 2:12 PM:Thank you for this history lesson for me. I have botanical prints all over my house but they are not "good" ones but I love them. I knew nothing about the great botanical artists of the past.
laughing at my photography trying to hide my messed up bed! These are by P J Redoute which doesn't mean a thing to me I just saw them and had to have them.
Thanks again for an article I do love! ... Posted by Dutchlady1 (from Naples, FL) on April 6, 2008 at 2:54 PM: Thanks! Those are lovely prints; Redoute was the rose specialist. ... Posted by gessiegail (from Taft, TX) on April 6, 2008 at 3:49 PM: Are you serious??????? I didn't catch the name so now I am embarrasssed! When I was redecorating my home years ago I saw these in a design store. I do remember thinking that they (the store) had ripped me off even though they said they were a limited edition.
Me thinks I need to go back and reread your article. ... Posted by marcabean (from Alexandria, VA) on April 7, 2008 at 5:07 PM: I splurged on a Boestler print a few yeas ago, and would love to know more about him and the process used. ...
Subject: Botanical prints
Posted by art_n_garden (from Colorado Springs, CO) on April 6, 2008 at 10:27 AM:Very interesting, I loved reading your article. I have always been fascinated with Audubon and Walcott so I really enjoyed reading about the history! ... Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on April 6, 2008 at 10:59 PM: An interesting article on on of my favorite subjects. Thank you. ...
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