Australian Platylobium parviflorum 1813

(Small-Flowered Flat-Pea)

Class & Order: Diadelphia Decandria

Native of New Souh Wales. Introduced by Sir Joseph Banks in 1792. Original text supplied with this antique print.

Original hand coloured Copper etching by F. Sansom after drawings by Sydenham Teast Edwards (1768 – 1819) a recognised natural history illustrator who assisted the great Sir Joseph Banks curate his magnificent collection.

Published by Samuel Curtis, London 1813

Sydenham Teast Edwards, William Curtis and "Curtis' Botanical Magazine "

Young Edwards had a precocious talent for draughtsmanship. William Curtis, the publisher of botanical works, and founder of the Curtis' Botanical Magazine, proceeded to have Edwards trained in both botany and botanical illustration.

The "Botanical Magazine" was first published in 1787 by William Curtis (1746-1799). After his death, the magazine was published by his brother, Thomas Curtis. Later, Samuel Curtis (a son-in-law of William Curtis) became proprieter from 1801 to 1845. The prints in the first 70 volumes were copper plates colored by hand. Some of the later prints were lithographs.

Some of the distingushed artists were Sydenham Edwards, John Curtis, William Jackson Hooker, W.H. Fitch, William Graves and Matilda Smith. These prints have a universal beauty and are a lasting documentary contribution to botanical studies. The scientific value of the figures and illustration, a source of pride and notabilty for the magazine, required the careful training of the illustrators. The artist worked closely with the botanist to depict a specimen, the use of exploded details surrounding the depiction gave the volumes practical appeal to botanists, horticulturalists, and gardeners.

Paper Size 140 x 230

Image Size 120 x 220