Botany, Antique Print, Eucalyptus rostrata, "Forest Flora of South Australia", Rosa Fiveash, Harcourt Barrett

Common name: Swamp Mahogany, Swamp Messmate, also referred to as a "Crooked Red Gum"     

Distribution: Endemic to Australia.

Antique chromolithograph drawn on stone by Harcourt Barrett (1848-1904) & 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. Included in each illustration are details of leaves, fruits, flowers, cross-sections of seed pods, bark and timber where appropriate.

Printed at the Government Printer in Adelaide, South Australia, by H. F Leader, issued by subscription 1882-90 for John Edne Brown's "Forest Flora of South Australia". The Collection was issued in nine parts including five prints & scientific information and distribution.

Condition: Excellent chromolithograph.

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

Certificate of Authenticity Issued

John Edne Brown (1848-1899),"The Man of Trees"

 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. Brown had seen similiar 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 Botanical Gardens established in 1856 could harvest and store seeds, and local artist, Rose Catherine Fiveash, was taught to depict the samples for classification. Botanical enthusiasts considered it an essential record for their libraries. Harcourt Barrett, the lithographer, was highly skilled & meticulously prepared each Bavarian limestone lithographic block for South Australian Government Printer. With the introduction of photo-lithography, it may have been the end of an printing era, but he took his highly-regarded skill-set of scientific illustration & lithography to the Royal Society of South Australia.