Nature Print of Moonwort and Adder's Tongue Ferns, plate 51 from The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland
1855
Medium
Color soft ground etching, from botanical specimens, inked à la poupée, on off-white wove paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 55.5 × 37 cm (21 7/8 × 14 5/8 in.)
Classification
monotype
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
13634
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Moving beyond mezzotint’s reproductive capabilities, Henry Bradbury used botanical specimens impressed into lead for his lifelike prints of plants. The matrix was electroplated, inked in multiple colors, and printed. This image comes from Bradbury’s most famous publication, but the impression may have been printed separately, as it lists his name prominently. Although Bradbury adjusted the technique, he did not invent it. Alois Auer and Andreas Worring had in fact discovered it in Vienna in 1852...