Louis van Houtte Botanical Books
/Louis van Houtte was a Belgian horticulturist. The 23 volumes of Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe which he is known for are available via Internet Archive here. There are over 2,000 colored plates. Many of the specimens were evidently from his nursery which was the most successful nursery in Europe at that time, so the books were references and catalogs for his business. The books were published between 1845 and 1883. It must have taken a lot of dedication to produce this body of work and run a business as well. Several volumes were published after he died so he must have had a dedicated group of people established to continue the work.
It took me over a month to get all the way through the volumes. I selected an image from each book and am showcasing them below.
The botanical prints from the 1800s are one of the highlights of the century and I am pleased to be finding new eBooks full of the colorful and educational prints.
