Lastrea Dilatata Glanulosa (Broad Buckler Fern) Botanical Etching (1855)
This folio-sized antique botanical print is Plate XIII from the book The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland by English writer and printer Henry Bradbury. Bradbury studied at the Imperial Printing Office in Vienna and is renowned for his innovations in botanical printing techniques.
These plates were produced by creating a soft lead imprint of the plant, forming an intaglio impression with exceptionally fine detail. The impressions were then used to create electrotype prints, allowing the plates to capture even the smallest features—from the delicate flower petals to the intricate venation of the leaves. This incredibly detailed and luminous print utilizes a range of vivid greens and browns to illustrate the beautiful complexities of the historically classified broad prickly-toothed buckler fern, a species now known as Dryopteris dilatata.
The publication of The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland reflects one of several botanical obsessions of the Victorian era. The so-called "fern mania" (or pteridomania) was fueled by botanical discoveries from abroad and a growing interest in plants and gardening among the middle class. Ferns, seen as graceful and decorative, were ideal indoor plants for the Victorian home. Will be shipped with care in a sturdy tube. Item #1921.
Condition: Very Good, discoloration to outer edges; light foxing spot to right of image; light edgewear.
Price: $150.00