Botany, Australian, Eucalyptus gracilis, Forest Flora of South Australia, Antique Print, Rosa Fiveash

Common Name: Yorrell or White Mallee, a species of mallee.            

Distribution: Endemic across Australia mainland.

Antique chromolithograph drawn on stone by Harcourt Barratt (1838-1904) and lithographed by E Spiller after Rosa Catherine Fiveash (1855-1938), born in Adelaide and was trained in scientific illustration for this large project that she worked on for 8 years. Fiveash was continued painting until 80.

Printed at the Government Printer in Adelaide by E.Spiller, issued by subscription 1882-90 for John Edne Brown's Forest Flora of South Australia

Condition: Good chromolithograph with light foxing at base and small tears along base not affecting the image.

Paper Size 55 x 41cm (22 x 16.4 inch) / Image Size 44.5 x 34 cm (17.8 x 13.6 inch)

John Edne Brown (1848-1899)

born in Scotland, Brown visited the USA in 1871 and wrote a report on the Californian forests. Soon after this that he was offered the position of Conservator of Forests in South Australia. Not only had was South Australia's native habitats put under pressure by commercial cropping but also by pastoral activities had soon made an impact. Brown had seen similar pressures on the California flora so set about recording the  largest & most accurate group of lithographs depicting Australian native plants made in the colonial period. This would serve as a local botanical record: the Botancial Gardens, established in 1856, could harvest and store seeds, and local artist, Rose Catherine Fiveash, was taught to depict the samples for classification. They were chromo-lithographed (Printed in colour ink off lithographic Bavarian Limestones) and printed by the Government Printer in Adelaide.