Science as Art: Free Access to Natural History Books and Art in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

Science as Art Free Access to Natural History

Books and Art in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

Grace Costantino 12 February 2017 | Smithsonian Associates @BioDivLibrary Share your thoughts on social media using #BHLib

The Biodiversity Heritage Library provides free and open online

access to library collections from around the world.

The Biodiversity Heritage Library (www.biodiversitylibrary.org) is an open access digital

library for biodiversity literature and archives.

51+ MILLION PAGES

TITLES VOLUMES 114,000+ 194,000+

173+ MILLION INSTANCES OF TAXONOMIC NAMES

578+ IN-COPYRIGHT TITLES LICENSED FOR BHL

AGREEMENTS WITH 250+

LICENSORS *Stats as of February 2017

BHL is a Global Consortium

18 MEMBERS

AS OF FEBRUARY 2017 15 AFFILIATES 60+ WORLDWIDE PARTNERS

CHECK YOUR HANDOUTS! Books from Alice’s Talk in BHL

64,500+ TOTAL FOLLOWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

TOTAL FOLLOWERS 11,800+

TOTAL FOLLOWERS 11,400+ TOTAL FOLLOWERS 32,300+


AVERAGE MONTHLY READERS (CY16)

2,300+

FOLLOW @BIODIVLIBRARY

*Stats as of February 2017


110,000+ IMAGES IN FLICKR

TOTAL IMAGES TAGGED 31,500+

223+ MILLION TOTAL VIEWS ON IMAGES

OF TOTAL FLICKR COLLECTION TAGGED

TAGGED IMAGES IN EOL

29% 18,000+

BHL FLICKR NAMED 1 OF WIRED’S 27 MUST-FOLLOW FEEDS IN

THE WORLD OF SCIENCE *Stats as of February 2017.

WWW.FLICKR.COM/BIODIVLIBRARY

COLOR OUR COLLECTIONS www.biodiversitylibrary.org/collection/ColorOurCollections

De aquatilibus WOODCUTS

Ø  By Pierre Belon, 1553 Ø  Beginning of modern

ichthyology Ø  Start of modern embryology

Ø  Used to print paper documents in Asia as early as 7th century AD.

Ø  Earliest known dated printed book from China, 868 AD.

Ø  Late 14th/Early 15th century used for printing in Europe.

Ø  By mid-15th century, used to print block books and illustrated books in Europe.

Woodcuts…

www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/5765


De aquatilibus (1553)

De aquatilibus WOODCUTS

Ø  By Pierre Belon, 1553 Ø  Beginning of modern

ichthyology Ø  Start of modern embryology

Ø  Used to print paper documents in Asia as early as 7th century AD.

Ø  Earliest known dated printed book from China, 868 AD.

Ø  Late 14th/Early 15th century used for printing in Europe.

Ø  By mid-15th century, used to print block books and illustrated books in Europe.

Woodcuts…


Woodcut Process Printing-block (woodcut), probably pearwood. Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, South Germany, c. 1470–1475. Image: Public Domain.

Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands

ETCHINGS

Ø  By Mark Catesby, 1729-47 Ø  First fully-illustrated book on

the flora and fauna of North America.

Ø  Earliest known examples of its use from Germany in the mid-1400s.

Ø  Etching process in printmaking believed to date to 1515.

Ø  Intaglio processes became standard for illustrating books by late 16th century.

Ø  Used predominantly until the mid-19th century when lithography started gaining ground.

Intaglio Printmaking…



Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands (1729-47)

Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands

ETCHINGS

Ø  By Mark Catesby, 1729-47 Ø  First fully-illustrated book on

the flora and fauna of North America.

Ø  Earliest known examples of its use from Germany in the mid-1400s.

Ø  Etching process in printmaking believed to date to 1515.

Ø  Intaglio processes became standard for illustrating books by late 16th century.

Ø  Used predominantly until the mid-19th century when lithography started gaining ground.

Intaglio Printmaking…


Etching Process Copper etching plate and print. Rembrandt. The Virgin and Child with a Cat, 1654. Image: CC-BY-SA. Author: NotFromUtrecht.

Plantarum historia succulentarum

ENGRAVINGS

Ø  Illustrated by the Raphael of flowers, Pierre-Joseph Redoute ́.

Ø  Published 1799-1837. Ø  The first botanical publication

for which Redoute ́ was the sole artist.

Ø  Dots, rather than lines, are used to give a finer, more delicate impression of tone and shading.

Stipple Engraving…



Plantarum historia succulentarum (1799-1837)

Plantarum historia succulentarum

ENGRAVINGS

Ø  Illustrated by the Raphael of flowers, Pierre-Joseph Redoute ́.

Ø  Published 1799-1837. Ø  The first botanical publication

for which Redoute ́ was the sole artist.

Ø  Dots, rather than lines, are used to give a finer, more delicate impression of tone and shading.

Stipple Engraving…


The Birds of Australia LITHOGRAPHY

Ø  By John Gould, 1840-48. Ø  First comprehensive survey of

the birds of Australia. Ø  Lithographs by Elizabeth Gould,

Henry Constantine Richter, Edward Lear, and Waterhouse Hawkins.

Ø  First discovered by a German actor and playwright, Alois Senefelder, in 1796.

Ø  Used to varying degrees in early 19th century, increasingly popular from mid-century onward.

Lithography…



The Birds of Australia (1840-48)

The Birds of Australia LITHOGRAPHY

Ø  By John Gould, 1840-48. Ø  First comprehensive survey of

the birds of Australia. Ø  Lithographs by Elizabeth Gould,

Henry Constantine Richter, Edward Lear, and Waterhouse Hawkins.

Ø  First discovered by a German actor and playwright, Alois Senefelder, in 1796.

Ø  Used to varying degrees in early 19th century, increasingly popular from mid-century onward.

Lithography…


Lithography Process

Litography stone showing an old map of Munich. Image: CC-BY-SA. Author: Chris 73.

Les orchidées CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHY

Ø  By Émile de Puydt, 1880. Ø  A treatise on cultivated orchids. Ø  50 full-page chromolithographs.

Ø  Arose in mid-19th century, around late 1830s.

Ø  Used multiple stones to print lithographs in color.

Ø  Popular into 20th century, until it was replaced by cheaper techniques like offset printing around the 1930s.

Chromolithography…


www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/77404 Les orchidées (1880)

Les orchidées CHROMO-LITHOGRAPHY

Ø  By Émile de Puydt, 1880. Ø  A treatise on cultivated orchids. Ø  50 full-page chromolithographs.

Ø  Arose in mid-19th century, around late 1830s.

Ø  Used multiple stones to print lithographs in color.

Ø  Popular into 20th century, until it was replaced by cheaper techniques like offset printing around the 1930s.

Chromolithography…


Additional Resources Ø History of Printing: American Printing History Association

Ø https://printinghistory.org/timeline/ Ø Woodblock Printing: John Steins

Ø http://www.johnsteins.com/woodblock-printing.html Ø  Intaglio Techniques: National Gallery of Art

Ø https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/clrflimpr-tech.shtm Ø Lithography: The Met

Ø http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/lith/hd_lith.htm Ø Chromolithography: University of Delaware Library:

Ø http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/color/lithogr.htm

Find & Download Botanical Art in BHL Ø To go: http://bit.do/BotanicalArt Ø Click on link to view page in BHL Ø Follow download instructions

here: http://bit.do/HighQualityJPEG

Ø To go: http://bit.do/BotanicalArt Ø Click on link to view page in BHL Ø Follow download instructions


Find & Download Botanical Art in BHL

Find & Download Botanical Art in BHL Ø To go: http://bit.do/BotanicalArt Ø Click on link to view page in BHL Ø Follow download instructions


Thank You! Questions? Grace Costantino [email protected]

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Science as Art: Free Access to Natural History Books and Art in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

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Transcript of Science as Art: Free Access to Natural History Books and Art in the Biodiversity Heritage Library