Flora Londinensis
Encyclopedia
Flora Londinensis is a book that described the flora
found in the London
region of the mid 18th century. The Flora was published by William Curtis
in six large volumes. The descriptions of the plants included hand-coloured copperplate prints by botanical artists such as James Sowerby
, Sydenham Edwards
and William Kilburn
.
The full title of the book is Flora Londinensis, or, Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London. The first volume was produced in 1777 and the final one, containing a title and an index, was published in 1798. A binary name is given for each species in the survey; common and other names are also ascribed for the general reader. The remarkable aspect of the volumes was their accessibility. Previous works on the flora of Britain had been intended for the audience of scientists, apothecaries, and the earlier herbalists. The appealing plates also provided a careful botanical detail which could assist in the identification of a species.
Curtis was praefectus horti (Director, Society of Apothecaries) at the Chelsea Physic Garden
and a botanist with a broad knowledge of exotic species. However, Flora Londinensis was to cover the most familiar territory of its author. Curtis intended documenting the flowering species within a 10-mile radius of London, commissioning several painters cum illustrators to produce hand-coloured copper engravings to accompany the pages. He undertook writing descriptions, publishing, and sales of the volumes, producing six fascicles of twelve issues, each containing six plates. The final survey eventually came to include many species found in southern England
and a few more besides.
Despite praise for the importance of the volumes, the work was not produced beyond 300 copies. Many other works were to be issued; the economics of producing a more affordable volume were yet to be refined. The publication by Curtis, The Botanical Magazine, was to be a greater financial success. Sowerby, who helped to publish the volumes and give over seventy of the plates, went on to produce natural history publications in a similar format.
The work was enlarged by William J. Hooker
, who published an edition with his own text in 1817 and 1828. This enlargement was even more comprehensive, by including species from the other British Isles
.
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
found in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
region of the mid 18th century. The Flora was published by William Curtis
William Curtis
William Curtis was an English botanist and entomologist, who was born at Alton, Hampshire.Curtis began as an apothecary, before turning his attention to botany and other natural history. The publications he prepared effectively reached a wider audience than early works on the subject had intended...
in six large volumes. The descriptions of the plants included hand-coloured copperplate prints by botanical artists such as James Sowerby
James Sowerby
James Sowerby was an English naturalist and illustrator. Contributions to published works, such as A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland or English Botany, include his detailed and appealing plates...
, Sydenham Edwards
Sydenham Edwards
Sydenham Teast Edwards was a natural history illustrator.Edwards was born in 1768 in Usk, Monmouthshire, the son of Lloyd Pittell Edwards, a schoolmaster and organist, and his wife, Mary Reese, who had been married on 26 September 1765 at Llantilio Crossenny Church and where Sydenham was...
and William Kilburn
William Kilburn
William Kilburn was an illustrator for William Curtis' Flora Londinensis, as well as a leading designer and printer of calico. A few hundred originals of his water colour designs, make up the Kilburn Album, housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.William Kilburn was the son of a Dublin...
.
The full title of the book is Flora Londinensis, or, Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London. The first volume was produced in 1777 and the final one, containing a title and an index, was published in 1798. A binary name is given for each species in the survey; common and other names are also ascribed for the general reader. The remarkable aspect of the volumes was their accessibility. Previous works on the flora of Britain had been intended for the audience of scientists, apothecaries, and the earlier herbalists. The appealing plates also provided a careful botanical detail which could assist in the identification of a species.
Curtis was praefectus horti (Director, Society of Apothecaries) at the Chelsea Physic Garden
Chelsea Physic Garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries’ Garden in London, England in 1673. It is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain, after the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, which was founded in 1621.Its rock garden is the oldest English garden devoted to alpine plants...
and a botanist with a broad knowledge of exotic species. However, Flora Londinensis was to cover the most familiar territory of its author. Curtis intended documenting the flowering species within a 10-mile radius of London, commissioning several painters cum illustrators to produce hand-coloured copper engravings to accompany the pages. He undertook writing descriptions, publishing, and sales of the volumes, producing six fascicles of twelve issues, each containing six plates. The final survey eventually came to include many species found in southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and a few more besides.
Despite praise for the importance of the volumes, the work was not produced beyond 300 copies. Many other works were to be issued; the economics of producing a more affordable volume were yet to be refined. The publication by Curtis, The Botanical Magazine, was to be a greater financial success. Sowerby, who helped to publish the volumes and give over seventy of the plates, went on to produce natural history publications in a similar format.
The work was enlarged by William J. Hooker
William Jackson Hooker
Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
, who published an edition with his own text in 1817 and 1828. This enlargement was even more comprehensive, by including species from the other British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.
External links
- http://www.derbycityprints.com/doc-details-1845-book.htm