Natural History

Natural history prints with a quiet, archival presence — precise, aged, and rich in the atmosphere of scientific curiosity and collected observation.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.073 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.073 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. A crimson crab claws at the edge, while spined crayfish lurk below—each creature twisted into bizarre, almost dreamlike forms. The sea here teems with life both familiar and utterly strange.

  • Psalliota silvatica Schäff., Ps. perrara Schulz. (1915-1945)

    Psalliota silvatica Schäff., Ps. perrara Schulz. (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Delicate gills fan beneath the cap’s smooth curve, each line precise as a map. The mushroom stands solitary, its stem rooted in shadow, a quiet study of texture and form. Earth clings to the base, hinting at the damp forest floor it was plucked from.

  • Yellow Butterfly (ca. 1890)

    Yellow Butterfly (ca. 1890)

    Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830–1902)

    A delicate yellow butterfly rests on a leaf, its wings glowing against muted greens. The watercolor’s fine details reveal each vein and subtle gradient, as if the insect might flutter off the page at any moment.

  • Foreign butterflies occurring in the three continents Asia, Africa and America Pl.319 (1779-1782)

    Foreign butterflies occurring in the three continents Asia, Africa and America Pl.319 (1779-1782)

    Pieter Cramer (Dutch, 1721–1776)

    Vibrant wings from three continents—Asia’s delicate patterns, Africa’s bold hues, America’s striking contrasts—frozen mid-flight. Each engraving traces the fleeting beauty of these distant travelers, a silent dance across borders.

  • Torquigener glaber (Tas) – Pufferfish.

    Torquigener glaber (Tas) – Pufferfish.

    Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

    The pufferfish hovers mid-water, its spines faintly outlined against the pale wash of ocean light. Every detail—the taut skin, the delicate fins—rendered with clinical precision, yet the creature seems poised to dart or inflate at any moment. A silent tension lingers in the stillness.

  • Butterfly (1890)

    Butterfly (1890)

    Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830–1902)

    Delicate wings unfurl in precise watercolor strokes—a butterfly suspended mid-flight, every vein and iridescent scale rendered with scientific clarity. The creature hovers between specimen and living thing, frozen yet weightless.

  • Lycoperdon enchinatum (1915-1945)

    Lycoperdon enchinatum (1915-1945)

    Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

    Spiny, globular, and strangely delicate—this fungus emerges from the page with precise, almost scientific detail. The engraving’s fine lines trace each bristling protrusion, transforming a humble puffball into something alien yet familiar.

  • Fauna japonica Pl.082 (1833-1850)

    Fauna japonica Pl.082 (1833-1850)

    Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (German, 1796–1866)

    Delicate wings spread across the page, veins traced with scientific precision. A Japanese beetle rendered in ink, its carapace gleaming as if still alive beneath the paper. The specimen seems ready to crawl off the page, frozen mid-motion by an unseen hand.

  • Scarus croicensis, The red Parrot-fish. (1785-1797)

    Scarus croicensis, The red Parrot-fish. (1785-1797)

    Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

    The red parrot-fish glides through coral shadows, scales shimmering like wet silk. Its beak-like mouth, built for scraping algae, hints at a life spent reshaping reefs. Every engraved line traces the creature’s motion—not just a specimen, but a pulse of the ocean caught in ink.