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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🌱 Plantarum indigenarum et exoticarum icones ad vivum coloratae, oder, Sammlung nach der Natur gemalter Abbildungen inn- und ausländlischer Pflanzen, für Liebhaber und Beflissene der Botanik /. . Original source Image description: Illustration of the plant Jatropha gossypifolia, featuring green, lobed leaves with visible veins and spiny stems. Small clusters of deep red and pink flowers grow on thin branches, with fine details highlighting hairs on stems and leaves. The image also includes close-up sketches of various plant parts such as flowers, seed pods, and reproductive structures in yellow and green, shown separately to emphasize botanical features. The botanical name is inscribed in elegant cursive at the bottom, reflecting an 18th-century scientific style. The artwork combines botanical accuracy with artistic color, aimed at plant enthusiasts and botanists.

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🌵 L'Illustration horticole: Gand, Belgium: Imprimerie et lithographie de F. et E. Gyselnyck, 1854-1896. Original source Image description: Illustration of a cluster of four green, globular cacti with thick, knobby roots. Each cactus is covered in textured, segmented patterns with vertical ridges, and topped with pale pink and white flowers, some fully open showing yellow centers, others partially closed. The base is rough and light brown, contrasting with the vibrant green bodies. The style is detailed and botanical, typical of 19th-century horticultural lithographs. The caption identifies the species as "Pelecyphora aselliformis" from Mexico, noted for its cactus family characteristics and ornamental blooms.

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🐒 Recherches pour servir à l'histoire naturelle des mammifères: . Paris: G. Masson, 1868-1874.. Original source Image description: Illustration of a macaque monkey standing on all fours, depicted in profile facing right. The macaque has thick, brown fur covering its body, with lighter, almost white fur around its cheeks and neck. Its face is characterized by a pronounced muzzle and expressive, forward-looking eyes. The hands and feet are detailed, showing distinct fingers and toes. The animal is set against a plain background with a small patch of grass. The illustration is finely detailed, highlighting the texture of the fur and anatomical features, typical of 19th-century natural history artwork.

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🌊 Andrew Garrett's Fische der Südsee Hamburg: L. Friederichsen & Co., 1873-1910. Original source Image description: Illustration of a Pacific fish from Andrew Garrett's 1873-1910 "Fische der Südsee," showing the upper half of the fish with detailed scales. The fish has large, rounded eyes with red and black highlights. Its body is predominantly light beige with a gradient to vibrant red on the dorsal side and fins. The pointed dorsal fin and tail fin feature red and white banding. The pectoral fin is delicate and translucent with red shading. Fine line work details the scales, fins, and facial features against a plain off-white background. This historical scientific illustration emphasizes anatomical accuracy and coloration.

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☘ Flora sylvatica Koreana Keijo: Forestal Experiment Station, Government General of Chosen, 1915- Original source Image description: Botanical line drawing from 1915 titled "Flora sylvatica Koreana," depicting a plant branch with multiple large, elongated leaves and clusters of small tubular flowers. Additional detailed botanical illustrations highlight parts of the flower structure on the left side. The image includes careful veining on the leaves and fine line work to emphasize plant anatomy. Hand-drawn by Terauchi M. and engraved by S. Yamanaka. Japanese text is present at the top, indicating the illustration number. The overall style is scientific and precise, reflective of early 20th-century botanical documentation.

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🦦 The royal natural history. v2. sect.3 London, F. Warne, 1893-1896. Original source Image description: Illustration of two European otters by a woodland stream; one otter stands upright on a rock holding a fish in its mouth while the other faces downward, appearing to drink from the water. They have dark brown fur and sleek bodies. Behind them is a large tree with thick roots, surrounded by grasses, plants, and scattered rocks. The scene depicts a natural habitat with detailed textures in the fur, tree bark, and vegetation, reflecting a serene yet lively moment in the otters’ environment. The image is from "The Royal Natural History," London, dated 1893-1896.

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👹 Extinct monsters and creatures of other days London: Chapman & Hall, 1910. Original source Image description: Illustration from 1910 depicting a group of small flying dragons, or pterodactyls, with slender bodies, elongated necks, large wings, and sharp teeth. Several species are shown, including Pterodactylus crassirostris, Rhamphorhynchus phyllurus, Dimorphodon macronyx, and Pterodactylus spectabilis. The pterodactyls vary in wing shape and posture, some perched on rocks, others in mid-flight, emphasizing their reptilian yet bird-like features as extinct prehistoric flying monsters. The monochrome drawing highlights detailed anatomy appropriate to early 20th-century scientific illustrations.

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🥒 The ladies' flower-garden of ornamental perennials.. London, W. Smith, 1843-44.. Original source Image description: Illustration of three cultivated double anemone flowers from "The ladies' flower-garden of ornamental perennials," London, 1843-44. The flowers vary in color: one is deep red with layered petals, another is dark blue with a densely petaled center, and the third is light pink with white-edged petals. Each flower has a rounded, textured center surrounded by multiple layers of petals. Green, finely divided leaves and slender stems support the flowers against a plain beige background. The detailed botanical drawing emphasizes the ornamental and diverse nature of this perennial species.

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🐚 Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes Paris: Chez Rousseau: [1834-1880] Original source Image description: Historical illustration showing four detailed depictions of two types of sea shells labeled "Eburne parquertée" and "Eburne de Ceylan." Each shell is displayed in two views: a full side profile and a front mollusk opening view. The shells have a smooth, spiral conical shape with distinct brown to reddish blotch patterns on a creamy background. The upper shells feature a more vivid spotted pattern, while the lower shells show a lighter, mottled appearance. The illustration is labeled "EBURNES" at the top, with plate number "Pl 2." The artwork is finely detailed to highlight shell texture and color differences.

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🦭 The gateway to the Polynia London, H.S. King, 1876. Original source Image description: Historical black-and-white illustration titled "Walrus" from 1876 showing a group of walruses resting on ice floes amid a cold Arctic seascape. The central focus is on two large walruses with prominent tusks lying side by side, surrounded by several smaller walruses scattered on cracked ice. Jagged cliffs rise in the background, emphasizing the harsh polar environment. The detailed etching highlights the walruses' bulky bodies, textured skin, and characteristic whiskers. The scene captures the natural habitat and behavior of walruses in the polar region, signifying their role as iconic Arctic mammals.

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🐜 Dictionnaire universel d'histoire naturelle: . Paris: Chez les editeurs MM. Renard, Martinet et cie, rue et Hotel Mignon, 2 (quartier de l'École-de-Médecine) ; et chez Langlois et Leclercq, rue de la Harpe, 81 ; Victor Masson, Place de l'Ecole-de-Médecin1847-1849. Original source Image description: Historical colored illustration depicting two anteaters: a larger adult anteater with a long, narrow snout, distinct dark and light fur patterns, and a bushy tail standing on the ground; and a smaller, golden-brown anteater climbing on a tree branch above. The smaller anteater has a curled tail and a more compact body. Detailed botanical elements and foliage surround the animals. Text in French at the bottom identifies the species as Myrmecophaga didactyla and Myrmecophaga jubata, part of a natural history dictionary from 1847-1849. The scene combines realistic animal features with delicate artistic shading.

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🦞 Illustrations of the zoology of H.M. Indian Marine Surveying steamer Investigator Calcutta: Printed and sold by the Superintendent of Government Printing, 1892-1909. Original source Image description: Historical black-and-white scientific illustration depicting five detailed crustaceans from the 1892-1909 "Zoology of the R.I.M.S. Investigator." The largest crustacean, labeled Haliporus villosus, is shown in profile with a segmented body, long legs, and antennae. Other crustaceans include detailed depictions of claws, tails, and segmented limbs, each numbered and identified with species names below. The illustration emphasizes anatomical accuracy, highlighting distinct features such as pincers, segmented bodies, multiple legs, and articulated antennae. The style is precise, with intricate line shading to denote texture and form, characteristic of marine zoological plates from the late 19th century.

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🐟 A flying trip to the tropics Cambridge [Mass.]Riverside press, 1895. Original source Image description: Black and white historical illustration titled "Barranquilla from the Marsh. Market in Foreground" from 1895. It depicts a wide river with small boats near the shore, dense marsh vegetation on the left bank, and a bustling riverside market with numerous stalls and people along a building labeled "Bon Marche." The scene shows detailed architecture of market buildings and a background of clustered houses and trees, emphasizing the active riverfront trade and community life in a tropical setting.

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🌲 Fruits for Long Island with abridged list of lawn and street trees, evergreens, shrubs, roses, vines and hardy flowers /. Westbury, N.Y.: Hicks Nurseries.. Original source Image description: Black and white historical photograph showing a row of large White Spruce and White Pine trees alongside a building with a steep roof, dated 1902. The trees, measuring 16 to 18 feet tall when moved, create a dense screen near the freight yard, hotel, and village sheds of Roslyn, Long Island. The scene highlights mature evergreens arranged in a landscaped setting, illustrating Hicks Nurseries’ capability to transplant and grow large trees. The image conveys early 20th-century horticultural practices in moving and establishing substantial spruce trees for ornamental and functional use.

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🦃 A history of the game birds, wild fowl and shore birds of Massachusetts and adjacent states, . Boston, Wright Potter Printing Company, State Printers, 1916. Original source Image description: Black-and-white historical illustration of a wild turkey standing on grassy ground. The detailed drawing shows textured feathers, a distinctive bare head, and strong legs with large claws. The turkey's beak is slightly open, and it is positioned in profile with its head raised. The image includes text noting that the wild turkey was once abundant in New England but is now extirpated from the Northern States and Canada. The style reflects early 20th-century scientific illustration.

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🦜 Recueil de divers oiseaux étrangers et peu communs A Nuremberg: Chez les Héritiers de Seligmann, 1768-1776. Original source Image description: Historical illustration of a colorful parrot perched on a twisted, leafless tree branch. The parrot features green and yellow plumage with blue wing tips, a red throat patch, and red and green tail feathers. It has a white patch on its head near the beak, which is curved and prominently open. The branch is rooted in a small grassy area with some low plants and reddish shrubbery. The image includes period-style text labels in German and French identifying the bird as "Le Perroquet à Tête blanche" from the 1768-1776 collection "Recueil de divers oiseaux étrangers et peu communs."

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🦁 The birds of North America New York, U.S.A.: Published under the auspices of the Natural Science Association of America, 1895, c1888. Original source Image description: Historical illustration titled "The birds of North America" showing a detailed, hand-colored print of ten small bird species perched on and around leaf-covered branches and a fallen log in a savanna-like setting. The birds vary in color from brown and gray to yellow and green hues, with patterns like spots and stripes distinctly visible. The background includes soft-toned sky and distant trees, emphasizing a natural habitat. Each bird is numbered for identification, highlighting scientific observation. The scene captures the diversity and delicate features of North American savanna bird species from the late 19th century.