Illustration Archives

Contes de Perrault (1904)

A. Guillon (French, unknown)

A wolf lurks in the shadows, eyes gleaming, as Little Red Riding Hood clutches her basket. The forest looms dark behind her, branches twisting like grasping fingers. The scene hums with quiet menace—a familiar tale poised to unfold in hushed, dreadful steps.
Psalliota costata (1915-1945)

Hans Walty (Swiss, 1868-1948)

Delicate gills fan out beneath the mushroom’s ribbed cap, each line precise as a scientific sketch. The earthy tones suggest damp forest floors, where this fungus might emerge after rain. A quiet study of texture and form, it invites closer inspection of nature’s intricate designs.
Insecta Lepidoptera-Rhopalocera Pl 001 (1879-1915)

Frederick DuCane Godman (English, 1834–1919)

Delicate wings unfurl in precise detail—each vein, each spot rendered with scientific clarity. A butterfly’s fleeting beauty, frozen in ink and color, becomes a permanent study of nature’s intricate design.
Sorrow, Variation Of The Illustration For The Poem At The Fair Of Vernamo (1894)

Albert Edelfelt (Finnish, 1854–1905)

A woman’s bowed head, heavy with grief, stands isolated in the bustling fair. The crowd swirls around her, laughter and music sharp against her silent sorrow. Her clenched hands and downcast eyes tell a story no poem could capture. The contrast stings—joy everywhere, yet none reaches her.
Designs for the Front and Back Cover of ‘L’Evangile de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ selon Saint Pierre’ (1895)

Carlos Schwabe (German, 1866–1926)

A celestial figure hovers above a sea of upturned faces, bathed in golden light. Below, dark waves churn with desperate hands reaching skyward. The stark contrast between divine radiance and earthly turmoil pulses with tension—a visual hymn of salvation and struggle.
Icones rerum naturalium, ou figures enluminées d’histoire naturelle du nord Pl.16 (1805-1806)

Peder Ascanius (Norwegian, 1723–1803)

A delicate crustacean, rendered in precise detail, its segmented shell and spindly legs frozen mid-motion—as if paused between ocean currents. The muted blues and earthy tones suggest a creature perfectly adapted to its unseen Nordic waters.
Insecta Lepidoptera-Rhopalocera Pl 020 (1879-1915)

Frederick DuCane Godman (English, 1834–1919)

Delicate wings unfurl in precise detail, each vein and spot rendered with scientific clarity. The butterfly’s symmetry is almost unreal, as if pinned between the pages of a hidden world.
Icones rerum naturalium, ou figures enluminées d’histoire naturelle du nord Pl.12 (1805-1806)

Peder Ascanius (Norwegian, 1723–1803)

Delicate, precise lines trace the contours of marine life—each scale, fin, and tendril rendered with exacting detail. The page hums with quiet vitality, a meticulous record of creatures pulled from northern waters. Here, science and artistry merge in ink and color.
Les modes féminines du XIXe siècle – Frontispiece (1902)

Henri Boutet (French, 1851–1919)

Elegant gowns swirl in delicate ink lines, each fold whispering of 19th-century femininity. A parade of silhouettes—corseted waists, cascading skirts—etched with precision, revealing how fabric shaped identity. The page hums with unspoken rules of beauty, a visual archive of society’s ever-shifting ideals.