ORIGINAL 1805 MAGAZINE BOTANICAL PLATE, PROFESSIONALLY HAND-COLORED 

WITH ACCOMPANYING SEPARATE DESCRIPTION PAGE. 

·       Plate #804. Albuca Major. Larger Albuca.

·       Illustrator: Sydenham Teast Edwards (1768 - 8 February 1819) British natural history illustrator.

·       Copperplate engraving by F. Sansom, Jr.

·       Page: 5 7/8 x 9 3/8 inches

·       Plate impression: 4 5/8 x 7 7/8 inches.

·       Images: full plate, cropped plate appearance for framing (approx 5 x 8 1/2 "), description page.

·       Condition: minor age toning, clean with professional hand-coloring (as issued in 1805). Blank verso. A lovely flower, vivid color and composition. 

·       Comments: I have other botanical plates from Curtis listed for sale; combined orders with no extra shipping fees. Come with an archival sleeve for protection.

·       Provenance: John Sims (Editor): "Curtis's Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed: in which the most Ornamental Foreign Plants, cultivated in the Open Ground, the Green-House, and the Stove, are accurately represented in their natural Colours..." Published by Couchman, et al of London in 1805

Questions welcome. Extra images can be added by request. International shipping available. All orders are carefully packaged for safe delivery. Experienced full time professional bookseller since 1994; print, map and poster seller since 2000. 

BACKGROUND (Optional reading)

The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed, is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Many plants received their first publication on the pages, and the description given was enhanced by the keenly detailed illustrations.

The first issue, in 1787, was begun as both an illustrated gardening and botanical journal. William Curtis (11 January 1746 - 7 July 1799) was an English botanist and entomologist. The illustrations were initially hand-colored prints, taken from copper engravings. This was accompanied by a page or two of text describing the plants properties, history, growth characteristics, and some common names for the species. The first thirty volumes used copper engraving to provide the plates, the hand coloring of these was performed by up to thirty people. An issue might have a circulation of 3000 copies, with 3 plates in each.