About this listing - 
This listing is for the State of New York Forest, Fish, & Game Commission Denton Fish print pictured.  This print measures approximately 8.25 in x 11 in.  Because every monitor displays differently, expect that there will be some variance between what you see on the monitor and how the print will look in your hands.  The image of the print posted on this listing is as representative of the actual print as I could make it.  The print in this listing is an authentic original antique chromolithographic print, and is over 110 years old.

About the work - 
These beautiful chromolithographs were skillfully executed by one of the very finest of later artists of natural history, Sherman Foote Denton. The Fish and Game of the State of New York Annual Reports 1895 -1909, included 99 fresh and saltwater fish from Denton as well as several other subjects, including lobsters, oysters, Ring-Necked Pheasant and the Virginia deer. They were published both in books and in unbound folio sets, and it is the prints from the bound edition that we are pleased to offer at this time.

Sherman Foote Denton was born in the United States in 1856 (d. 1937) and at a young age traveled extensively in the US & abroad with his naturalist father, teaching himself to draw on his travels. It was a Huckleberry Finn type of existence, which gave him the basis to earn a creative living as an adult through his mastery as a naturalist & artist, not to mention collector of precious stones. Upon his father’s death in New Guinea in 1883, Denton came back to the U.S. to work with the U.S. Fish Commission at the Smithsonian Institute. During this period, he learned the art of taxidermy of fish and while mounting fish, made watercolors of many of his collection. It was from his watercolors of North American fish that the chromolithographs included in the Commission’s reports were taken. The First Annual Report refers to the faithful representation of the illustrations of the subjects.

Denton was a naturalist in the broadest sense. He is known for inventing a special mount for butterflies and, indeed, his butterfly and moth collection was unsurpassed and a large portion was given to Wellesley College later in his life. During one sojourn in the United Kingdom, he put together a collection of every known butterfly and moth native to the British Isles to present to the Prince of Wales on his thirteenth birthday. He was a collector of insects of all kinds, shells, and bird skins and eggs.

Denton loved the field of ethnography and collected Indian relics on his travels. He was also interested in gemstones and found precious and semiprecious minerals and gems amassing a large collection, many of which he himself cut and polished. Denton owned a very valuable collection of American fresh water pearls including one he found that was estimated at the time to be worth $4,000. 

Each print is approximately 8.25 inches by 11 inches with bright, vibrant color on quality, lightly toned paper that is generally unblemished. There is no descriptive text, but a copy of the title page will be included. These beautiful prints have become an enduring tribute to the extraordinary man who painted them & as much a part of Americana as the Audubon & McKenney & Hall which preceded them. 

Condition notes for this listing -  
Print is in good condition on lightly toned paper.  Because the print is an antique you can expect some imperfections due to age and handling.  Please review the image carefully to assess condition..

About Condition Terms - 
Toning or Age toning - Toning is the darkening of paper over time.  Toning comes in varying degree, from creamy white to very tanned, and is very common in antique prints. 
 
Foxing - Foxing is distinct darkening of the paper in small or large spots.  Foxing can happen in one fair sized spot or it can be "freckled" all over the paper (and all possible combinations).

Offset or Text offset - Offset happens when the print has been in direct contact with a page of text for an extended period of time.  Offset can be dark where the ink has smudged or transferred onto the print, or light when the acids in the ink have burned (toned) the facing print.

Trimmed - Trimming happens (usually during the binding process) when one or more margins (top, bottom, left or right) is cut down to fit in the selected binding.  Unfortunately, trimming can sometimes effect the image area inside the plate mark.  

Plate Mark -  The area that the image occupies.  If you look closely at a copper plate engraving you can see the depression where the copper plate was pressed into the paper while the image was being printed, that is the plate mark.

Soiling - Any mark on the paper that isn't part of the printing process.  Remember, these prints came from a magazine that was later bound into volumes.  Sometimes people aren't very careful with books and magazines and often handle them without washing their hands (this may be especially true of botanical magazine that was marketed to, avid, wealthy gardeners).  So, there may be actual dirt on the 200ish year old print.

Note on Shipping - 
These prints will be shipped rolled.  Rolling is cost effective & non-damaging.  Many top tier print dealers roll their prints for shipment.  Once your prints arrive, unroll them and put them between two heavy books for a couple of days and they should flatten out beautifully.  Alternatively, your framer can press them out.