eBotanical Prints – August 2023

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Twenty more books were added to the botanical print collection this month – available for browsing on Internet Archive. The first 4 books in August were Japanese flower books by Bairei Kono from 1901 – the year one of my grandfathers was born.

The next three were published in the mid-1800s…not exactly botanical print books but about plants – their depiction, relationship to religion, and uses.

The next three are research publications from the Missouri Botanical Garden published in 1991.

The remaining 10 books are George Engelmann’s scanned botanical notebooks from the mid-1800s. He evidently made his notebooks from whatever paper was available…and used a variety of pencils!

Overall – quite a range of publications!

The whole list of 2,695 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the August 2023 books with links to the volumes and sample images is at the bottom of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the August 2023 eBotanical Prints!

Sōka hyakushu V1 pt 1 * Kono, Bairei * sample image * 1901

Sōka hyakushu V1 pt 2 * Kono, Bairei * sample image * 1901

Sōka hyakushu V2 pt 1 * Kono, Bairei * sample image * 1901

Sōka hyakushu V2 pt 2 * Kono, Bairei * sample image * 1901

Lessons in flower painting * Andrews, James * sample image * 1836

A scripture herbal * Callcott, Maria * sample image * 1842

Wanderings among the wild flowers :how to see and how to gather them : with remarks on the economical and medicinal uses of our native plants * Thomson, Spencer * sample image * 1857

The ethnobotany of Aublet's histoire des plantes de la Guiane Françoise (1775) * Plotkin, Mark J.; Boom, Brian M., Allison, Malorye * sample image * 1991

Flora of Nigeria, Caryophyllale * Ghazanfar, Shahina A.  * sample image * 1991

Pollen and spores of Barro Colorado Island * Roubik, David W.; Moreno, Jorge Enrique * sample image * 1991

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 38 : Yucca (Agavaceae) * Englmann, George * sample image * 1851

George Engelmann:  botanical notebook 4 : Callitrichaceae * Englmann, George * sample image * 1860

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 18 : Gentianaceae * Engelmann, George * sample image * 1847

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 21 : Cuscuta  * Engelmann, George * sample image * 1839

George Engelmann : botanical notebook 27 : Nyctagineae, Chenopodiaceae, Polygonaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Loranthaceae, Urticaceae, Platanaceae, Juglandaceae, Fagaceae, Betulaceae, Salicaceae * Engelmann, George * sample image * 1842

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 10 : Phyllocactus, Disocactus, Epiphyllum, Lepismium, Rhipsalis * Englmann, George * sample image * 1856

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 45 : Polyanthus, Sagittaria, Echinodorus, Najadaceae, Najas, Potamogetonaceae, Cyperaceae, Gramineae * Engelmann, George * sample image * 1840

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 9 : Echinocereus, Cereus, Eulychnia, Pilocereus * Engelmann, George * sample image * 1846

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 8 : Cereus  * Engelmann, George * sample image * 1846

George Engelmann :botanical notebook 57 : Juniperus * Englmann, George * sample image * 1850

The Garden Magazine 1905-1924

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Internet Archive has 34 volumes of The Garden Magazine – a New York based magazine “devoted to planting and managing the grounds about the home, and to the cultivation of Fruits, Vegetables and Flowers". The magazines are a window into the way life was during the early 1900s. I enjoyed browsing them all! Click on the sample images below to see an enlarged version….better yet – browse a whole volume (or two or three….maybe all of them)  by following the link.

The Garden Magazine V1 (1905)

The Garden Magazine V2 (1906)

The Garden Magazine V3 (1906)

The Garden Magazine V4 (1907)

The Garden Magazine V5 (1907)

The early issues had little color except for some of the covers and a few ads. Note that the ad for Japanese Iris included some birds among the flowers.

The Garden Magazine V6 (1908)

The Garden Magazine V7 (1908)

The Garden Magazine V8 (1909)

The Garden Magazine V9 (1909)

The Garden Magazine V10 (1910)

Farming was important to a lot of people and so - was an important aspect of the magazine…in all seasons. Note that Kodak was already advertising in 1909….and that the photographer was not always male!

The Garden Magazine V11 (1910)

The Garden Magazine V12 (1911)

The Garden Magazine V13 (1911)

The Garden Magazine V15 (1912)

The Garden Magazine V14 (1912)

Unusual garden features like Japanese lanterns and plants like lotuses/wisteria featured in some issues – popularizing new things for the garden. C. Coles Phillips’ work was part of a Waterman’s Ideal Fountain Pen ad in 1912.

The Garden Magazine V16 (1913)

The Garden Magazine V17 (1913)

The Garden Magazine V18 (1914)

The Garden Magazine V19 (1914)

The Garden Magazine V20 (1915)

An overhead view of an idealized farm and a vine covered façade of a stately house featured on some covers. Cannas and poinsettias were plants of interest. Victor-Victrola ads depicted the sounds of the world come to your home.

The Garden Magazine V21 (1915)

The Garden Magazine V22 (1916)

The Garden Magazine V23 (1916)

The Garden Magazine V26 (1918)

The Garden Magazine V27 (1918)

As America entered World War I food was featured in covers – the slogan ‘America’s Part: to keep the Horn of Plenty Full.”

The Garden Magazine V28 & 29 (1919)

The Garden Magazine V30 (1920)

The Garden Magazine V31 & 32 (1921)

The Garden Magazine V33 (1921)

The Garden Magazine V34 (1921)

By 1919, the wounded were home. Davey Tree Surgeons was advertising…trees were a big topic. Gladiolas and other flowers in the garden were becoming a bigger business too.

The Garden Magazine V35 (1922)

The Garden Magazine V37 (1923)

The Garden Magazine V38 (1924)

The Garden Magazine V39 (1924)

The cover art for the last issues reflects the aesthetics of the 1920s….more children, relaxed fashion, abundant flowers.

Some Randolph Caldecott eBooks

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14 books by artist/illustrator Randolph Caldecott are the ‘books of the week’ – all freely available from Internet Archive. He was a British and illustrator who died in 1886 so half of these were published after his death. Enjoy the sample images and follow the links to see more!

The Fox Jumps over the Parson's Gate (1883)

The three jovial horsemen (1890)

The house that Jack built (1878)

He began the trends we still see in picture books today! The positioning of pictures and words…the reduction in words when pictures tell the story…etc. The Caldecott Medal is name after him; it is an annual award for “"most distinguished American picture book for children" and was first awarded in 1938.

2 Ernst Kreidolf eBooks

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Internet Archive has 2 books by Ernst Kreidolf -  published in the early 1900s. He was a Swiss painter know for illustrating children’s books that include flower people.

The first book was published in 1909 as a portfolio - Ernst Kreidolf – of his early (pre-flower people) works.

The second book was published in 1922 - Alpenblumenmärchen – and includes his best known images.

There are other books written during the early 1900s but not scanned and available yet. Later versions of the books were translations to English and are still under copyright protection.

eBotanical Prints – July 2023

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Twenty-one more books were added to the botanical print collection this month. Eight of the books are ‘nature prints’ (a process in which an object as a leaf or flower) is pressed into a plane surface to make either a direct printing surface or a matrix); the images made via nature print this month were from the late 1700s.

Garden Books from Montgomery Ward from a few years before and after I was born are available on Internet Archive…clues about what home gardeners were planting during those years.

The most recent book was about liverworts and hornwarts of New Zealand – published in 2008. I chose a drawing for the sample image but there were many color photographs as well.

There were 3 volumes of American Grasses from 1899-1900 and 3 volumes of flora from the Pacific states from the 1944-1960.

Overall – quite a range of publications!

The whole list of 2,675 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the July 2023 books with links to the volumes and sample images is at the bottom of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the July 2023 eBotanical Prints!

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V1 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1787

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V2 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1788

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V3 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1788

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V4 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1789

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V5 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1789

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V6 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1790

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V7 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1791

Ectypa plantarum Ratisbonensium, oder Abdrücke derjenigen Pflanzen, welche um Regensburg wild wachsen V8 * Hoppe, David Heinrich * sample image * 1791

The Garden Book - Montgomery Ward - 1949 * Montgomery Ward * sample image * 1949

The Garden Book - Montgomery Ward - 1950 * Montgomery Ward * sample image * 1950

The Garden Book - Montgomery Ward - 1951 * Montgomery Ward * sample image * 1951

The Garden Book - Montgomery Ward - 1952 * Montgomery Ward * sample image * 1952

The Garden Book - Montgomery Ward - 1953 * Montgomery Ward * sample image * 1953

The Garden Book - Montgomery Ward - 1954 * Montgomery Ward * sample image * 1954

A flora of the liverworts and hornworts of New Zealand * Engel, John J.; Glenny, David * sample image * 2008

American grasses. I, Descriptions of the species * Lamson-Scribner, F. * sample image * 1900

American grasses. II, Descriptions of the species * Lamson-Scribner, F. * sample image * 1899

American grasses. III, Descriptions of the species * Lamson-Scribner, F. * sample image * 1900

An illustrated flora of the Pacific states - Washington, Oregon, & California V2 * Abrams, Leroy; Ferris, Roxana Stinchfield * sample image * 1944

An illustrated flora of the Pacific states - Washington, Oregon, & California V3 * Abrams, Leroy; Ferris, Roxana Stinchfield * sample image * 1951

An illustrated flora of the Pacific states - Washington, Oregon, & California V4 * Abrams, Leroy; Ferris, Roxana Stinchfield * sample image * 1960

Egyptology History eBook

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Internet Archive has John A. Wilson’s 1964 book Signs and Wonders upon Pharaoh: A History of American Egyptology - freely available and browse worthy.  The title focuses on American Egyptology but there is contextual information about work by archeologists from other countries as well. All over the world – Ancient Egypt has fascinated people and the finds are more than just objects in museums. They have influenced architecture, art, fashion…concepts of beauty and culture. Enjoy the sample images below (click to enlarge) and browse the book directly by following the link above.

Louis Raemaekers’ World War I Cartoons

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There are two books of Louis Raemaekers’ World War I cartoons available on Internet Archive. He was a Dutch editorial cartoonist noted for his anti-German stance that moved to London in 1915. His collected cartoons published in Raemaekers Cartoons (1917) were quickly translated into 18 languages and distributed worldwide in neutral countries – the US being one of those neutral countries. Themes that appear often in the cartoon are the death of culture/civilization, widows, and controlling Germans (represented by the Kaiser and bulky men with German helmets).

Raemaekers Cartoons

According to the Wikipedia entry for him:He toured the US in 1917 shortly after the US declared war on Germany, giving lectures and interviews….by October 1917, more than 2,000 American newspapers had published his cartoons. The popularization of his work is regarded as the largest propaganda effort of the First World War.

America in the War

America in the War was published in 1918. The cartoons often depict Uncle Sam riding to the rescue and troops fresh to the battle…but there is often a hint that the war was more challenging than they anticipated.

In Beaver World eBook

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In Beaver World was published by Enos A. Mills in 1913 and it is available on Internet Archive. I enjoyed the pictures and drawings….his observations about beavers he observed extensively near his home in Colorado. I’ve included several sample images from the book below.

Enos Mills was, according to the Wikipedia article about him, the main figure behind the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. He gave speeches, published books on nature and hired/trained nature guides. He encouraged people of all ages to get outside and into nature. His methods of nature interpretation are still taught to students in the field of interpretation. He died relatively young (52 years) in 1922….his legacy a national park and his books.

eBotanical Prints – June 2023

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Twenty-one more books were added to the botanical print collection this month. I took a break from the Australian Orchid Review in June…found a lot of variety. The earliest book is from 1736….the most recent from 2020. Seven of the books are ‘nature prints’ (a process in which an object as a leaf or flower) is pressed into a plane surface to make either a direct printing surface or a matrix); the image made via nature print this month were from the mid to late 1800s. I found more recent volumes for the publication from the Arnold Arboretum; I’d added the bulk of the volumes to my list of botanical eBooks back in 2021.

My favorite image from the books this month is the nature print of Cucurbita Pepo from Carlo Perini’s Flora dell'Italia setentrionale e del Tirolo meridionale : rappresentata colla fisiotipia V3.

My favorite image from the books this month is the nature print of Cucurbita Pepo from Carlo Perini’s Flora dell'Italia setentrionale e del Tirolo meridionale : rappresentata colla fisiotipia V3.

The whole list of 2,654 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the June 2023 books with links to the volumes and sample images is at the bottom of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the June 2023 eBotanical Prints!

Flowers from Nature * Everard, Anne * sample image * 1835

English wild flowers * Burgess, Joseph Tom * sample image * 1868

Backyard Foraging * Madigan, Carleen * sample image * 2009

Ectypa vegetabilium * Ludwig, Christian Gottlieb * sample image * 1760

Flora dell'Italia setentrionale e del Tirolo meridionale : rappresentata colla fisiotipia V1 * Perini, Carlo * sample image * 1854

Flora dell'Italia setentrionale e del Tirolo meridionale : rappresentata colla fisiotipia V2 * Perini, Carlo * sample image * 1854

Designing with wild flowers : a textbook of practical methods for teachers and students  * Smith, Nettie Sylvia * sample image * 1927

Flora dell'Italia setentrionale e del Tirolo meridionale : rappresentata colla fisiotipia V3 * Perini, Carlo * sample image * 1854

Plant analysis, distemper color, bookcover designing, carpet designing, oilcloth and linoleum designing, wallpaper designing, the American vignola, color harmony  * International Textbook Company * sample image * 1905

Arnoldia -  v.76:no.3 (2019) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2019

Arnoldia -  v.76:no.4 (2019) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2019

Arnoldia -  v.77:no.1 (2019) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2019

Arnoldia -  v.77:no.2 (2019) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2019

Arnoldia -  v.77:no.3 (2020) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2020

Arnoldia -  v.77:no.4 (2020) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2020

Arnoldia -  v.78:no.1 (2020) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2020

Arnoldia -  v.78:no.2 (2020) * Arnold Arboretum * sample image * 2020

Vegetabilium omnium generum icones * H.W.S * sample image * 1736

Impressions of Seedlings V1 * Coulson, John * sample image * 1899

Impressions of Seedlings V2 * Coulson, John * sample image * 1899

Impressions of Seedlings V3 * Coulson, John * sample image * 1899

Sethos I at Abydos

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Sethos I is the name sometimes used for the Egyptian pharaoh Seti I. He ruled from 1290-1279 BC and was the father of Ramesses II. There are 4 volumes about work done in 1925-1926 at Abydos when the painted reliefs were copied by Amice M. Calverley with the assistance of Myrtle F. Broome and edited Alan H. Gardiner. The publication was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. with as many colored plates as possible. They were originally published beginning in the 1930s and made available on Internet Archive in 2022 by The Electronic Publications Initiative of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Perusing these depictions of the reliefs on a big screen monitor is a treat…certainly better than a crowded museum!

Sethos 1. The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, Volume I: The Chapels of Osiris, Isis and Horus, 1933

Sethos 2. The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, Volume II: The Chapels of Amen-Re', Re'-Harakhti, Ptah, and King Sethos, 1935

Sethos 3. The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, Volume III: The Osiris Complex, 1938

Sethos 4. The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, Volume IV: The Second Hypostyle Hall, 1958

Byam Shaw Illustrations

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There are 6 eBooks I’ve browsed recently on Internet Archive that feature Byam Shaw illustrations. I enjoyed the richness of details and colors. These books are well worth browsing!

Steel, Flora Annie, The adventures of Akbar, 1913

Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson, Guinevere, 1892

Hope, Laurence, The garden of Kama and other love lyrics from India , 1914

Poe, Edgar Allen, Selected Tales of Mystery, 1909

Hadden, James Cuthbert, The Operas of Wagner, 1908

Bunyan, John, Pilgrim's progress from this world to that which is to come, 1905

I always enjoy finding out a little more about the artist when I find books like these. Wikipedia is where I look first. This time I found that Byam Shaw was active prior to World War I and died in his 40s during the influenza epidemic. The Wikipedia article mentioned a semi-autobiographical painting (My Wife, My Bairns and My Wee Dog John); a quick Google search found an article about it on the Humber Museums website.

International Studio eBooks

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I first browsed a series of International Studio digitized magazines in 2013…enjoying all of them available at the time. They were from the early 1900s. Recently, I found more of them that had been digitized in 2022 from the 1920s and those are the ones I am featuring today.

International Studio - vol 67 (1919)

International Studio - vol 76 (1923)

International Studio - vol 77 (1923)

International Studio - vol 78, no. 317 (1923)

 I like looking at magazines to understand what was ‘new’ or ‘important’ at the time; it’s a perspective of the period from people living then rather than historical analysis from authors that did not experience it directly. Even the ads are interesting; the way products are described…the brands that still exist (maybe were ‘new’ at the time) and brands long gone. Ads were often the main color images inside the magazines!

According to a Wikipedia entry, the magazine was the American edition of The Studio published in London. The American publication continued until 1931.  As I was writing this post, I realized there were some additional ones that I haven’t browsed yet…some additional browsing to enjoy!

NASA Images from the 1960s

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I did a lot of my growing up in the 1960s; the US space program had an impact on my education and perspective of the world so when I found 3 books of images from NASA in the 1960s available on Internet Archive for easy browsing- I savored the memories of seeing some of those images in newspapers and magazines shortly after they were taken. The images looking back at Earth from space were so different than the previously available aerial photographs taken from planes or balloons. Now we take for granted the satellite imagery in our everyday lives (for example, Google Maps satellite view). The NASA programs in the 1960s were steps along the technological path. A lot has happened in the past 50 years!

(click on the sample images to see a larger version…and the link to look at the whole book of wonderful images)

Exploring space with a camera (1968)

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 3, 2023

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

100 Top Photographers Sell Prints to Benefit Ocean Conservation – Enjoy the photography….and participate in the fundraiser for the oceans.

Methane must fall to slow global heating – but only 13% of emissions are actually regulated – I was surprised that so little is regulated…and even when regulation exists it is sometimes not fully implemented.

Capping Oil & Gas Wells in Texas Could Create Tens of Thousands of Jobs - CleanTechnica – A way to reduce methane!

280,000 Photos Used to Create Highly-Detailed Image of the Moon – So many images…stitched together…colorized. The blog post includes a short description of how it was done.

Talking puppy or finger puppet? 5 tips for buying baby toys that support healthy development – Not surprisingly…in most cases, traditional toys provide better interactions and experiences then technological toys for 0-2 year olds.

Beatrix Potter’s famous tales are rooted in stories told by enslaved Africans – but she was very quiet about their origins – Thought provoking. There is considerable evidence that Beatrix Potter knew about the Brer Rabbit stories (books from her father’s library) and that she used the stories to create Peter Rabbit!

Chronic stress can inflame the gut — now scientists know why – Chemical cues produced in the brain….immune cells in the gut. For people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) (includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease), stress might make treatments less effective…and can prompt flareups in patients what previously were responding well to medication.

Increased droughts are disrupting carbon-capturing soil microbes, concerning ecologists -- ScienceDaily – There is a need to understand how microbes respond to the disruption of drought in both agricultural and natural areas. Right now, soil holds more carbon that plants and the atmosphere combined….so it is important that we understand enough to effectively intervene if the soil starts releasing more of its stored carbon.

Getting to the Root of Skin Healing | The Scientist Magazine® - Research that indicates that hair follicle transplantation might accelerate wound closure, reducing scar formation, and remodeling existing scar tissue.

Antarctic ocean circulation has slowed dramatically – New research shows that collapse of the South Atlantic circulation will happen sooner than the North Atlantic!

eBotanical Prints – May 2023

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Twenty more books were added to the botanical print collection this month. The first one is a monograph about oxalis, the next three are journals from the California Botanical Society from 1916-1936, then 16 volumes of the Australian Orchid Review from 2006 - 2009. For the orchid volumes, I picked sample images that demonstrated the publications’ photography – particularly of orchids growing in natural settings and slipper orchids. There are Australian Orchid Review volumes I’ll browse in June as well.

The whole list of 2,633 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the May 2023 books with links to the volumes and sample images is at the bottom of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the May 2023 eBotanical Prints!

Monographie der amerikanischen Oxalis-Arten  * Zuccarini, Joseph Gerhhard * sample image * 1825

Madroño : a West American journal of botany V. 1: no. 1-3 (1916-1922) * Jepson, Willis Linn (editor); California Botanical Society * sample image * 1922

Madroño : a West American journal of botany V. 2 (1930-1934) * Jepson, Willis Linn (editor); California Botanical Society * sample image * 1934

Madroño : a West American journal of botany V. 3 (1935-1936) * Jepson, Willis Linn (editor); California Botanical Society * sample image * 1936

Australian Orchid Review 2009 (February - March) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2009

Australian Orchid Review 2008 (August - September) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2008

Australian Orchid Review 2008 (October - November) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2008

Australian Orchid Review 2008 (June/July) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2008

Australian Orchid Review 2008 - 2009 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2009

Australian Orchid Review 2008 (February/March) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2008

Australian Orchid Review 2008 (April/May) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2008

Australian Orchid Review 2007 (February/March) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2007

Australian Orchid Review 2007 (August/September) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2007

Australian Orchid Review 2007 (October - November) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2007

Australian Orchid Review 2007 (April - May) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2007

Australian Orchid Review 2007 (June/July) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2007

Australian Orchid Review 2007 - 2008 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2008

Australian Orchid Review 2006 - 2007 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2007

Australian Orchid Review 2006 (February/March) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2006

Australian Orchid Review 2006 (April - May) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2006

13 'The Spell of…. ' (eBooks)

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The Spell of… books were published in the early 1900s by L.C. Page and Company of Boston – travel books with a few colored plates and drawings…more photographs…of the places they are about. Often the endpapers have scenic drawings. I’ve selected 13 that I have browsed recently for the slice of place and time they represent.

Mason, Caroline Atwater - The Spell of Italy (1909)

Hallays, Andre - The spell of Alsace (1919)

McCrackan, William D. - The spell of Tyrol (1914)

 Anderson, Isabel - The spell of Japan (1914)

Addison, Julia de Wolf - The Spell of England (1912)

Call, Frank Oliver -  The Spell of French Canada (1926)

 Mills, Enos A. - The Spell of the Rockies  (1911)

Call, Frank Oliver - The Spell of Acadia (1930)

McCrackan, William D. - The Spell of the Italian Lakes (1918)

 Mansfield, Milburg Fracisco - The spell of Algeria and Tunisia (1924)

George Catlin eBooks

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George Catlin is well-known for his portrayals of Native American customs and individuals in the mid-1800s – at a time they were already being impacted by European cultures but were still living in much the same way as they had in the past. I have featuring 4 Catlin books available on Internet Archive; there are more than these four…all worth browsing. The books blend history and art!

O-Kee-pa : a religious ceremony; and other customs of the Mandans (1867)

Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North American Indians V1 (1876)

Last rambles amongst the Indians of the Rocky mountains and the Andes (1868)

Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium (1852)

George Catlin also published Shut your Mouth (also available from Internet Achive) based on his observations of Native American practice of encouraging nose breathing over mouth breathing…and that their teeth were always straight. He is quoted: “there is no person in society but who will find... improvement in health and enjoyment..." from keeping his or her mouth shut.

Mound City Glass (historical catalog)

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The 1889 catalog of the Mound City Glass Company in St. Louis, Missouri showcases ornamental glass offerings. They did beveling, sand blasting and embossing….as well as having a stock of plate glass.

Catalogue from the Mound City Glass Co.

 Old catalogs reflect the availability and popularity of wares…become a historical record of consumerism of the period. In the late 1800s, the country had a wide range of housing from sod structures to the first skyscrapers. People needed windows to provide light inside those structures so improvements in plate glass production during the 1800s was welcomed. The type of glass produced by the Mound City Glass company must have been popular for anyone with enough money to purchase it…letting light in along with providing a decorative element.

There isn’t much information about the company other than the catalog. The address on the catalog was in downtown St. Louis…maybe the offices/showroom rather than where the glass work was done.  I assume that the ‘mound city’ in the name came from Cahokia mounds which are on the eastern side of the Mississippi across from St. Louis. There are places in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, and South Dakota named Mound City; the one in Missouri is on the other side of the state - north of Kansas City close to the Missouri River; the one in Illinois is in far southern Illinois on the Ohio River which is their border with Kentucky; it doesn’t seem likely that either one would have been the location of the original manufacturing facility.

eBotanical Prints – April 2023

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Twenty-one more books were added to the botanical print collection this month, and all are about orchids: the Australian Orchid Review from 2009 - 2012. I picked sample images that demonstrated the publications’ photography – particularly of orchids growing in natural settings. Most times people see orchids are in cultivated settings: conservatories, green houses, flower arrangements. Seeing them in the wild is a challenge. The ones native to North America are often small or rare…or both! The Australian Orchid Review has articles primarily on Australian orchid growing…and native orchids of Australia and its nearest neighbors.  I’ll continue browsing more volumes in May!

The whole list of 2,613 botanical eBooks can be accessed here. The list for the April 2023 books with links to the volumes and sample images is at the bottom of this post.

Click on any sample images in the mosaic below to get an enlarged version. Enjoy the April 2023 eBotanical Prints!

Australian Orchid Review 2012 (October - November) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2012

Australian Orchid Review 2012 - 2013 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2013

Australian Orchid Review 2012 (June - July) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2012

Australian Orchid Review 2012 (August - September) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2012

Australian Orchid Review 2011 (February - March) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2011

Australian Orchid Review 2011 (June - July) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2011

Australian Orchid Review 2011 (October - November) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2011

Australian Orchid Review 2011 - 2012 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2012

Australian Orchid Review 2011 (April - May) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2011

Australian Orchid Review 2011 (August - September) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2011

Australian Orchid Review 2010 (February - March) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2010

Australian Orchid Review 2010 (June - July) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2010

Australian Orchid Review 2010 (August - September) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2010

Australian Orchid Review 2010 (October - November) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2010

Australian Orchid Review 2010 - 2011 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2011

Australian Orchid Review 2010 (April - May) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2010

Australian Orchid Review 2009 (April - May) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2009

Australian Orchid Review 2009 (June - July) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2009

Australian Orchid Review 2009 (August - September) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2009

Australian Orchid Review 2009 (October - November) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2009

Australian Orchid Review 2009 - 2010 (December - January) * Orchid Society of New South Wales * sample image * 2010

Japanese Pottery

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James Lord Bowes was a wealthy Liverpool (UK) wool broker that became an authority on Japan and its art. He published his 3-volume work about Japanese Pottery in 1890, the year he also opened the first museum in the western world dedicated to Japanese art. The books are available as eBooks from Internet Archive. Their publication in 1890 makes them historical…and they were, from the being, about art. Enjoy them from both perspectives!