Showcase:Botanical Illustrations
As we navigate challenging times many of us find comfort by surrounding ourselves with nature and images that depict the natural world.
Within that world of images of nature sits a more specific genre known as "botanical illustration".
Vintage Botanical Print of Peaches “Pecher Bell Conquette, Jardin Fruitier du Museum. Antique botanical of a peach from the notable rare print and antique bookseller, Charles Sessler, Philadelphia.
Unlike the broader category of botanical art, which is an artist’s interpretation of a plant or flower, a botanical illustration is a precise scientific depiction of a plant, flower or herb defined by accuracy in every detail.
Wild Potatoes Antique Botanical Print: Circa 1855, Philadelphia
Historically, the purpose of botanical illustrations was to identify species for medicinal purposes. Often these drawings were done in pen and ink but over time color was added to further enhance the accurate documentation and attention to detail. During the 18th century advances in the printing process also allowed these original drawings to be truthfully duplicated in book form.
LEFT: Title page of vol. 1 of the third series (vol. 71) of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine [1845]; W. Dickes (illustration), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | RIGHT: An example of one of the botanical illustrations (1909) found in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, depicting Aquilegia grata [
What attracts us to botanical illustrations?
Perhaps it is the appreciation of the craft: the absolute resolve to capture and depict every detail, the steadiness of a hand that drew the most minuscule stem or bud or the photo-like depiction of color.
Or it may also just be the satisfaction of having an arrangement of multiple illustrations on a wall which remind us of the north wall from our parents dining room.
Whatever the cause, there is a serenity in these drawings that calms us while simultaneously delighting us as we discover new details every time we view them.
At 11 Hamilton Home we have a collection of beautifully framed “Botanical Illustrations”. Each one has a pedigree and history that takes us to another era when life was slow.
From our home to yours