Description
The cultivation of orchids was all the rage in late Victorian England and on the continent and several orchid societies thrived. It was published by Benjamin Samuel William. A tribute to him, appearing in volume 9, recollects his goals in publishing this important work:
In 1881 he commenced his magnum opus, the Orchid Album, which was projected with the idea of supplying a demand for illustrations of Orchidaceous plants, with botanical descriptions of the plants figured, and notes on their cultivation. … Its appearance was hailed with great satisfaction in horticultural circles throughout the world, and it numbers among its subscribers nearly all lovers of Orchids and many of our leading and most influential horticulturalists.
John Nugent Fitch was the nephew of renowned botanical artist Walter Hood Fitch. Both men also contributed to the monumental English colorplate work, Curtis’s Botanical Magazine.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual light toning, wear, soft creases. Colors bright and fresh.
References:
Nissen, Claus. Die Botanische Buchillustration: ihre Geschichte und Bibliographie. Stuttgart:1951-66. BBI 2107
Sitwell, Sacheverell. Great Flower Books, 1700-1900. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1990 p. 80.
Stafleu, Frans A. and Richard S. Cowan. Taxonomic Literature. Utrecht: 1967. 2nd ed., Utrecht: 1976-1988. 6282.
