The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland – Antique Originals

Thomas Moore’s publication The Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland comprises 51 plates depicting the various fern species found throughout the noted geographical area. This publication is unique in that a new printing technique called electroplating was combined with old-world engraving to produce veristic representations of the various fern species.

Among the finest examples of nature printing, the technique combined old-world engraving with new scientific applications of electroplating. Pioneered by The Imperial Printing Office in Vienna, the nature printing process employed in this folio involved pressing a natural object into a lead plate. Since lead is soft and degenerates easily, to print the folio, an exact copy of the lead plate was made in copper by the electrotype method. The result was fine engravings that conveyed the realism of an impression made directly from the pressed plant.