Master List of Botanical Archives

Missouri Botanical Garden Library
Specific Illustration Archives from the Missouri Botanical Garden Library
 MBG Herbals and Materia Medica
 (herbs medieval woodcut b/w)
Herbarius Schoffer 1484
A very early medieval herbal of medicinal plants in Latin. No color. Excellent calligraphy, woodcuts and very old pages with stains and spots.
 (medicinal herbs color)
A Curious Herbal by Elizabeth Blackwell 1739
A compendium of the useful plants of the day. Hand-colored copper engravings. Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school and pioneered educating women in medicine.
 (medicinal herbs color)
Herbarium Blackwellianum 1773
A Latin and German version of Elizabeth Blackwell’s 1739 “A Curious Herbal”.
 (medicinal herbs color)
Kohlers Medicinal Plants Kohlers Medizinal Pflanzen 1914
Considered the best illustrated of all material medica using chromolithography.
 (medicinal plants b/w)
Medical Botany by William Woodville 1793
Detailed illustrations of medicinal plants of the day both domestic and exotic.
 MBG ILLUSTRATED BOOKS
 (orchids in color)
A Monograph of Odontoglossum by James Bateman 1874
Gorgeous full color prints of the orchid genus Odontoglossom.
 (lilies in color)
A Monograph of the Genus Lilium by John Henry Elwes 1880
Clean contemporary prints of a wide range of exceptional lilies.
 (Lilies in color)
A Selection of Hexandrian Plants belonging to the Natural Order of Amaryllidae and Liliacae 1834
Large full color prints from engravings of amaryllis and lilies with their close kin.
 (lilies in color and b/w)
Les Liliacees The Lilies by Pierre Joseph Redoute 1815
The family of lilies rendered by France’s most famous artist, Redoute.
 (garden flowers with butterflies in color)
Illustrations of Rare Plants by Nicolaas Meerburgh 1775
Charming color prints of unusual plants with butterflies.
 (line drawings of alpine plants)
Chloris Andina: An Essay on the Alpine Region of Cordilleres of South America by Hugh Algernon Weddell 1861
State of the art b/w line drawings of alpine plants of the Andes Mountains.
 (garden flowers in color)
Description of Rare Cultivated Plants at Malmaison of the Navarre by Aime Bonpland 1813
French language book of elegant full color views of garden plants from Empress Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte’s famous home in France.
 (tropicals in color)
Flowers and Fruits of Java 1880
A Belgian book published in Brussels with fabulous hand colored lithographs of tropical fruits and flowers.
 (line drawings)
Atlantic Flora of Tunisia and Algeria 1782 (Northern Africa)
Wide range of wild and cultivated plants found in the northern parts of Africa.
 (plants and flowers in color)
Flora of Austria 1778
Hand colored copper engravings of all plants found in 18th century Austria with many European natives.
 (plants and flowers in color)
Fragmenta Botanica: Figures and Color Illustrations 1809
A wide ranging assortment of colored copper engravings drawn by the author of Flora of Austria
 (grasses in color)
Austrian Grasses 1809
Spectacular compendium of European grasses and grains.
 (line drawings grasses)
Graminae Chinensis (Grasses of Chile) 1853
Highly detailed and incredibly accurate botanical studies of grass species found in Chile, South America.
 (line drawings fruit)
Hesparidies: The Golden Apple 1646
Unusually beautiful copper engravings of fruit, mostly citrus, with lovely titles on ribbons snaking through the illustrations.
 (simple color plants and flowers)
Natural History of Brazil 1648
Smaller illustrations scanned on full pages of text with lots of discoloration and spots for antique look.
 (palms in color)
Natural History of Palms 1850
Truly amazing detailed illustrations of palms and their complex reproductive structures.
 (plants and flowers in color)
Hortus Botanicus 1776 University of Wein
A massive archive of illustrations of the university’s botanical garden collections.
 (b/w line drawings)
Images of Select Plants from the Universal System 1846
Copper engravings constitute this, the first affordable French book of botanical renderings.
 (flowers in color)
Iconographic of Genus Camellia 1841
Stunning collection of camellia flowers done in a most elegant style.
 (plants in color)
Illustrations of Himalayan Plants
A mixed bag of engravings of trees, shrubs and flowers from the region of India.
 (fruit in color)
The Flowers and Fruits of France La Flore et la Pomone Francaises 1833
Simple and contemporary renderings of fruits with flowers in a Spartan style.
 (b/w line needlework drawings)
The Garden of the King Le Jardin Du Roi 1623
Created by a royal embroiderer as a pattern book for tapestry makers is the source for vintage needlework images.
 (flower cartoons in color)
Les Fleurs Animees 1847
A French book of engravings of ladies as flower folklore.
 (botany in b/w line drawings)
Opera Omnia 1687
Very early botanical engravings that border on truly fantastic graphics for a multitude of uses.
 (plants and flowers in color)
Temple of Flora 1807
The most beautiful and Victorian of all, botanicals that border on pure artistic illustrations.
 (plants in b/w line drawings)
New Genera and Species of Plants Nova Genera et Species Plantarum 1825
Finely rendered contemporary looking illustrations of orchids and other exotic plants.
 (plants in color)
Phytanthoza Iconographia 1745
A huge range of copper engravings featuring shrubs, trees and flowers.
 (garden plans and elevations in b/w)
Plans and Designs of the Newest in Gardens 1700
Stunning copper engravings of classical French Gardens by famous architect Andre Le Notre, designer of Versailles.
 (trees and flowers in color)
Select Plants 1773
Exceptional renderings with unique lettering calligraphy of unusual plants including spectacular bananas, cedar and pomegranate.
 (succulents in color)
History of Succulent Plants 1837
A great assortment of succulent species like aloes that are hard to find anywhere else.
 (flowers in color)
Rare Plants by Jacquin 1804
Illustrations from the royal gardens of Palace of Schonbrunn.
 (garden plants in color)
Select Plant Pictures 1798
Color etchings of well known plants, trees and shrubs from gardens.
 (detailed b/w etchings)
Von Humboldt’s Botany Illustrations 1817
Extraordinarily accurate renderings in high detail with shading of South American plants.
 (plants in color)
Plants of the Coast of Coromandel 1819
Exotic plants from far reaches of the Dutch East India Company trade routes.
 (rustic flowers in color)
Illustrations For The Letters of Rousseau 1789
Charming rustic hand colored illustrations of popular garden flowers.
 (orchids in color)
Select Orchidaceous Plants I 1865
Gorgeous finely rendered pictures of orchids.
 (orchids in color)
Select Orchidaceous Plants II 1875
Gorgeous finely rendered pictures of orchids.
 (orchids in color)
A Wreath of Beautiful Orchid Flowers 1838
Among the best orchid illustrations by Lindley, the father of orchid cultivation.
 (detailed b/w drawings)
The Anatomy of Plants 1682
Very old scientific drawings of highly graphic plant anatomy in detail.
 (color paintings)
Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland Volume I 1855
Delicate and realistic illustrations of ferns, stems and roots.
 (color paintings)
Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland Volume II 1857
Delicate and realistic illustrations of ferns, stems and roots.
 (color illustrations)
The Natural History of Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia 1797
Beautiful illustrations of butterflies and their associated food plants.
 (color illustrations tree)
Treatise on Forest Trees 1824
A French collection of trees well known and not with pines and oaks.
 (color illustrations shrubs)
Shrubs of France 1825
Renderings of a wide range of familiar flowering shrubs of gardens.
 SMALL GROUP MONOGRAPHS
 (small group etching b/w)
A Description of the Genus Chinchona 1797
A small collection of b/w illustrations of the South American plant source of quinine used to fight malaria.
 (small group etching b/w)
Cornus (Dogwood) 1788
A small group of 12 Cornus species.
 (plants in color)
Images of Rare Plants Icones Plantarum Rariorum 1793
A huge collection of wild and cultivated plants and trees.
 (small group in color)
The Cacti Les Cactees 1847
A small group of assorted cactus genera from the New World.
 SPECIALIZED ARCHIVES
 New York Public Library Digital Gallery
An enormous collection of a wide range of botanical illustrations, photos and ephemera.
 University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Perhaps the best source of fabulous etchings and illustrations of early gardens and plans. Gardens and Garden Architecture

Botanical Illustration
 Yale Medical Historical Library
Ground zero for Medieval wood cuts from material medica. Herbarium Arborum

Herbarium Latinus

Fuchs Botanical
 Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The largest collection of charming garden catalog covers on the Internet. Seed and Nursery Catalogs
 USDA Special Collections
U.S. Government archives and one of the most accessible sources of copyright free illustrations. USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Curtis Botanical Magazine

Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Image Gallery
 Netherlands: Kohlers Medizinal Pflantzen
Plentiful, diverse and gorgeous high resolution botanical illustrations in Dutch.
 Netherlands: Tulip Book of P. Cos
A rare tulip book digitized records the high fliers of the 17th century Dutch craze.
 Australia: Colored Illustrations of Australian Plants (gov)
A wide range of styles and age depict some of Australia’s endemic flora.
 England: Natural History Museum Endeavor Botanical Illustrations
The archive of illustrations documenting a famous 19th century botanical expedition.
 New York Botanical Garden Virtual Herbarium Showcase
Really cool scanned pages of a real herbarium of pressed and dried plants with collection notes.
 (high resolution full color)
Germany: Flora of Germany Flor von Deutchland 1905
Big beautiful highly detailed plants of Germany and elsewhere.
 (Virtual Herbarium)
Netherlands: Petrus Cade Herbarium 1566
Very old book of pressed plants with hand written names.
 (color illustrations)
Bilder ur Nordens Flora 1917-1926
Sweedish Flora
 (Color illustrations)
Flora Danica Online 1761-1874
 (virtual herbarium)
Linnean Herbarium
The personal herbarium of Carolus Linnaeus, father of binomial nomenclature.
 (b/w line drawings)
Kings American Dispensary 1898 and Materia Medica 1927
Engravings of medicinal plants with helpful thumbnail gallery format from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine.