Historical Book Images

The Biodiversity Heritage Library has thousands of illustrations of flora and fauna. This unaffiliated bot shares random images from the collection.

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🦷 The class Mammalia London: Printed for Geo. B. Whittaker, 1827. Original source Image description: Illustration of a brown bear (genus Ursus) skull in profile, focusing on the detailed structure and arrangement of its teeth, including large canine teeth and molars. Below the skull, separate views of the bear’s upper and lower teeth are displayed, highlighting differences in shape and size. The image is from an 1827 publication, emphasizing mammalian dental anatomy for scientific study.

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🍍 Herbarium Blackwellianum emendatum et auctum, id est, Elisabethae Blackwell collectio stirpium. Norimbergae: Typis Io. Iosephi Fleischmanni, 1750-1773.. Original source Image description: Illustration from an 18th-century botanical book depicting a ripe pineapple with detailed, spiky green leaves and its textured, golden-yellow fruit. To the right is a cross-sectional slice showing the interior structure, including seeds and fibrous core. The image includes handwritten Latin and German annotations identifying the species and parts. The style is precise and scientific, highlighting botanical features for study.

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🦷 Expédition dans les parties centrales de l'Amérique du Sud Paris: Chez P. Bertrand, 1850-1859. Original source Image description: Black and white scientific illustration from an 1850s South American expedition, showing detailed anatomical drawings of skulls and jawbones of South American bats (Cheiropteres). The image features profiles and frontal views of teeth arrangements in upper and lower jaws, highlighting sharp canines and molars. Each specimen is numbered and includes both side views of jawbones with teeth and full skull sketches, emphasizing dental structure and diversity within the Vespertilionidae family. The title and expedition details are printed at the top and bottom, indicating study focus on mammalian zoology and teeth morphology.

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🐭 A hand-book to the British mammalia London, Edward Lloyd, 1896. Original source Image description: Illustration from an 1896 British mammalia handbook depicting two harvest mice in a natural setting. Both mice have brown fur with white underbellies, rounded ears, and long, curled tails. One mouse is standing on its hind legs among green foliage and plants, while the other is on its back holding a piece of grass or twig. The background includes detailed vegetation with leaves and flowers, presented in muted earth tones. The image is labeled "Harvest Mouse" on the side and is a finely detailed, colored engraving.

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🪳 Natuurlijke en naar het leven nauwkeurige gekleurde afbeeldingen en beschrijvingen der spoken, wandelende bladen, zabelspringhanen, krekels, trekspringhanen en kakkerlakken: Amsterdam: J.C. Sepp, 1813. Original source Image description: Historical illustration depicting five detailed colored cockroach specimens in various poses. They vary in color from green to brown, with visible segmented legs, long antennae, and distinct patterns on their wings and backs. Each insect is numbered individually (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) on a plain beige background, highlighting anatomical features like wing veins and body segments. The illustration is from an 1813 Amsterdam publication by J.C. Sepp, titled in Dutch, focusing on realistic depictions of cockroaches and related insects. The style is precise and scientific, suitable for educational or entomological reference.

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🦃 The six voyages of John Baptista Tavernier /. London: Printed for R.L. and M.P., 1678.. Original source Image description: Historical illustration titled "Money of the King of Asem. Travells in India," showing detailed black and white engravings of various coins and ingots. The upper half displays ten circular and polygonal coins labeled with numbers, featuring intricate inscriptions and symbols, some with dotted borders. The lower half depicts four large, curved ingots marked as "China Peices," each with different shapes and calligraphic markings. The page has handwritten-style text and numbering, characteristic of a 17th-century print. The focus is on the diverse currency used in India during travels, linked to Turkey through the context of trade and exploration.

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🏔 The flora of the Alps; London, J. C. Nimmo, 1896-1900. Original source Image description: Illustration of Rhododendron chamaecistus, a mountain plant native to the Alps, showing a cluster of pale pink to white five-petaled flowers with reddish-brown spots and central pink stamens. The flowers are surrounded by dense, green, needle-like leaves. The botanical drawing highlights the detailed texture of the foliage and delicate flower structures, indicative of alpine flora. The plant is depicted rooted in rocky soil, reflecting its natural mountainous habitat.

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🐸 Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous;. Indianapolis, The Bowen-Merrill Company[c1902]. Original source Image description: Historical botanical illustration titled "Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous" (c.1902) depicting detailed drawings of various mushrooms, primarily Clitopilus species. The image shows both whole mushrooms and cross-sections emphasizing gills and stems, with numbered labels for identification. The mushrooms vary in color from white to light brown, with some having a cap shape typical of toadstools. The background includes natural elements like moss and soil, enhancing the natural habitat context. The illustration serves as a scientific study highlighting distinctions between edible and poisonous fungi relevant to the keyword "toad."

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🦎 The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands: . London: printed for C. Marsh [etc.]1754.. Original source Image description: Historical illustration depicting a gray-brown iguana with a row of small spines along its back, clinging to a branch of a tree with broad green leaves. The iguana is positioned sideways, showing detailed scales and sharp claws gripping the branch. Below the iguana hangs a large, pear-shaped green fruit with textured shading. The background is plain and uncolored, typical of 18th-century botanical and natural history prints. Fine lines and subtle color washes emphasize the textures of the iguana’s skin, leaves, and fruit. The image is titled and numbered as part of a natural history collection from 1754.

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🐵 Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London London: Academic Press, [etc.], 1833-1965. Original source Image description: Historical illustration from 1905 depicting two Hylobates hainanus monkeys on a tree. One monkey is light-colored, sitting on a branch with long limbs folded, surrounded by green leaves. The other is dark-furred, sitting below on a thicker branch, facing slightly left. Both have distinct facial features with expressive eyes. The detailed lithograph emphasizes fur texture and natural posture in a forest setting.

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🐾 On the structure and development of the skull in the mammalia /. London: Royal Society of London, 1874-1885. Original source Image description: Historical scientific illustration showing detailed anatomical views of mammalian skull structures from different angles and cross-sections. Various parts of the skull are labeled with letters and numbers, highlighting bone formations and internal features in shades of beige and yellow. The drawings emphasize the structure and development of the skull in the mammalia, with careful shading and texture to distinguish bone density and openings. The image includes dorsal, ventral, and lateral views, focusing on the arrangement and connection of skull bones, such as the cranium and jaw, revealing intricate details of bone morphology.

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🐿 A natural history of birds London: Printed for the author, at the College of Physicians in Warwick-Lane, MDCCXLIII-MDCCLI [1743-1751, i.e. 1750-1776?] Original source Image description: Illustration from an 18th-century natural history book depicting a chipmunk and a bird. The chipmunk is shown in profile, sitting on a patch of grass with distinctive five dark stripes on its back, a bushy curved tail, and detailed fur texture. Above it, a black and white bird perches on a small branch, with sharp eyes, a slender beak, and intricate feather shading. The background includes delicate foliage and branches, rendered in fine lines and muted, natural colors on aged paper.

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👾 The wild beasts of the world /. London: T. C. & E. C. Jack, [1909?]. Original source Image description: Illustration of an American bison standing prominently in the foreground of a misty grassland, with a small herd of bison grazing in the background. The bison is depicted with a large, muscular body, dark brown fur, and curved horns. The landscape features rolling hills and a muted, cloudy sky, conveying a wild, natural environment. The artist's signature, C.E. Swan, appears in the bottom right corner. The overall tone is earthy and subdued, emphasizing the bison's strength and presence as a wild beast of the American plains.

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🌳 Flore des serres et des jardins de l'Europe. A Gand: chez Louis van Houtte, eÌditeur, 1845-1880.. Original source Image description: Illustration of Hydrangea stellata, featuring a dense cluster of star-shaped flowers with soft pink petals fading to white and green centers. The flowers sit atop broad, dark green leaves with prominent veins. The botanical style highlights delicate shading and fine details typical of 19th-century botanical prints. The text at the bottom identifies the species and its origin, Japan.

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🐟 Ichthyology Edinburgh, etc.: W.H. Lizars, etc., 1852-1854. Original source Image description: Illustration of a Chalceus macrolepidotus fish from an 1852-1854 Edinburgh ichthyology book. The fish has a rounded body covered in large, pale silvery-green scales with subtle blue shading. Its fins are prominently colored green with striking red tips and markings, and its tail fin is fully red. The fish's large eye is yellow with a black pupil. The background features a detailed sketch of a natural landscape with trees, rocks, and water in fine black and white lines, emphasizing the fish as the main subject. The image combines scientific precision with artistic detail typical of 19th-century natural history illustrations.

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🐊 The largest #alligator ever recorded was 19 ft 2 in. Learn all about alligators & see some gr8 illustrations in #bhlib Original source Image description: Illustration of a full-body American alligator from a 1907 publication, shown from above with head facing down. The alligator's detailed scales and textured skin are visible, along with its four legs splayed outward and its long, curved tail. The color palette includes naturalistic shades of brown and green. The image highlights the anatomy and patterning typical of alligators, emphasizing its rugged texture and powerful limbs. The illustration is part of a historical record related to the largest alligator ever recorded at 19 feet 2 inches.

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🐦 British ornithology London: Printed for the author, by Stephen Couchman ... and sold by Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1811-1821. Original source Image description: Illustration of a jay (Corvus glandarius) perched on a weathered tree stump. The bird has a pinkish-brown head with distinct black markings near its beak and spotted patterns on the crown. Its wings feature striking blue and black barred feathers, with grayish underparts and tail. The background shows a simple, muted landscape with bushes and grass, emphasizing the bird. The style is detailed and hand-colored, typical of early 19th-century ornithological prints.