Series III: Wilkes Biology Department’s Flora prints, 1750 - 1853
Series
Scope and Content:
From the Collection:
The Charles B. Reif collection of Flora/Fauna prints, 1485-1899, is a collection of engravings, lithographs and hand-colored lithographs, chromolithographs, paintings, colored woodcuts, ink drawings, water-colored paintings, etchings with aquatint, and hand-colored aquatints of various flora and fauna from the late 15th century to the late 19th century. The collection was curated and owned by Dr. Charles B. Reif, a Wilkes Biology professor, who used these prints for instruction in his biology classes. As biologist, naturalist, collector and painter, Charles Reif had an interest in art, particularly biological works. Along with his scientific studies he had four years of coursework in the Art Department at the University of Minnesota, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1935. His undergraduate adviser at Minnesota was Dr. Dwight E. Minnich, then Chairman of the Department of Zoology, who was also interested in natural history art. A strong friendship between the two men developed over the years and they began a collection of diverse works as a joint project. Between 1920 and 1965, Dr. Minnich and his wife Helen traveled to Europe each year, where they bought art relating to natural history, fashion illustration, and book ornamentation. The Minnichs obtained extra copies of natural history prints which Dr. Reif purchased for his own collection. The extent of Dr. Minnich’s broad collection was described in “A Botanical Cabinet,” an essay which Richard Campbell wrote for an exhibition of watercolors and prints from the Minnich Collection that celebrate the golden years of European flower illustration, 1550-1850 (Arts, The Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts, May, 1987, pp.11-13).
After receiving his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Zoology in 1941 at Minnesota, he became the Chairman of the Biology department at Wilkes College in 1942. Dr. Reif maintained his interest in collecting natural history prints and in 1950, began to develop what he called, the “Minnich Collection of the Department of Biology of Wilkes College,” an eclectic assemblage of prints in many media dating from 1485 through 1899. It was his aim to develop a collection of prints for the Biology Department before they were too difficult or expensive to obtain and as a way of conserving the heritage of past biologists and artists.
Dr. Reif regarded the collection as a teaching aid and he used it to present a lecture each year during the Biology seminar course, “History of Biology.” Although the fundamental purpose of the collection was to teach natural history, the prints are also of interest to art historians and general historians. To study the history of biological illustration, one first examines early books on biology and horticulture. It is from these that many of the oldest prints in the Reif collection were taken. To obtain prints for sale, dealers cut up copies of the classic works so that the plates could be sold separately, a scheme unfortunately still practiced, which realized more money for the dealers but destroyed the books. A later practice was for publishers to print plates without text, to be sold as individual illustrations. Among the first scientific books to be printed were Herbals, which appeared between 1470 and 1670. The earliest Herbals included plants with medicinal value and described the plants and how they were used; later books, based on travel experiences, emphasized descriptions of the flora and fauna of various exotic regions. One work of this type by Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) was “Flora Lapponica” (1737) which described the plants of Lapland. Another book by Linnaaeus, “Hortus Cliffortianus” (1737), described and illustrated interesting plants in the Amsterdam garden of George Clifford, a wealthy Dutch financier and horticulturalist. With the discovery of sexuality in plants and successful use of sexual characteristics in plant classifications by Linnaeus, medical books, known as Pharmacopoeia, diverged from the botanically oriented works, which became known as Florae. The descriptive and often beautiful illustrations in these medical works and Florae were prepared primarily to illustrate the major features of particular plants or animals. Their aesthetic value, although secondary in purpose, is frequently of great importance to the modern collector. Various print media were developed to improve the quality of illustration. The earliest works used the carved end grain of wooden blocks to make line prints, which could be left black and white, or colored with supplementary blocks or by hand. Later methods used copper plates for engravings, etchings, and aquatints. In the nineteenth century the water resistant process of lithography was developed. Prints in the Reif collection illustrate the various media that preceded photography and the study of these prints reveals the historical progress of the accurate representation of plants and animals. This is especially evident in regard to birds:in early days only dead specimens, sometimes stuffed and mounted, were studied, and these were often placed in positions not true to life. An example of this is the work of Mark Catesby, an Englishman who worked in the early eighteenth century and who has been called the Founder of American Ornithology. As Roger Tory Petersen, American artist and author has commented: Catesby’s drawings are typical of those being done in Europe at that time. They are meticulously executed, but archaic and crude with little semblance of sound structural drawing. They do not for a moment give us the impression of living birds. Their antique captions give these quaint drawings a historical interest, but little more.” (“Baby Elephant Folio,” Audubon’s Birds of America, 1981, Introduction, p.10). In the late 18th and 19th centuries more realistic representations were obtained by drawing from life, or from specimens in life-like poses, placed in natural settings of flowers and scenery. Similarly, early botanical illustrations of plants often failed to provide structural details while later works sometimes introduced too many details. During the early period of scientific illustrations, the artist responsible for the drawing remained relatively anonymous. In later years artists such as Wilson, Gould, and Audubon were responsible for both the descriptive text and the original artwork, and the engravers or lithographers undertook reproduction and publication of the artist’s work; but naturalists often became involved in all phases of publication, from collecting and drawing to fundraising, printing, and sales. The books then published were magnificent works that represented the combined efforts of arts, printers, and publishers. The evolution of the international scientific naming system is illustrated in these prints. In the period before 1750 Carolus Linnaeus introduced the binomial system of classification, which gives every organism two names, a binomial which must be in correct Latin form and written in italics. First in the name of the genus–e.g.: Lilium, and the second indicates the species–e.g. superbum, –a superb or outstanding lily. The generic name is capitalized; the specific name is not. The name of the person to first describe the species follows, and completes the modern scientific name. In this case, the completel name is written as Lilium superbum Linnaeus, followed by the common name, “Turk’s Cap Lilly.” Common names vary in every country; and, although scientific names remain constant, opinion concerning the correct name for an organism may change, and the name given to the plant or animal on an early print may no longer be in use. For this reason corrections have been made on the checklist to reflect changes in nomenclature and in expert opinion. A print may show only a common name, or scientific name, or both. In some cases no name is used. Such aspects make the study of this collection interesting and valuable. -Robert E. Ogren, Ph.D., Wilkes College. Artists found within this collection include the following:
Leohart Fuches, John Gerard, Johann Von Cube or Johannes Von Cuba, Gustav Philip Trauter, John James Audubon, Francois LeVaillant, Kruger Jr. and Ludewig Schmidt, Mark Catesby, Prideaux John Selby, Conrad Gesner, Jakob Hoefnagel or Jacob Hoefinagel, August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, Eleazar Albin, Samuel Fallours, Franz Michael Regenfus, Francois Nicholas Martinet, Jean Jacques Ernst or J.J. Ernst, Christian Sepp, Thomas Bewick, Édouard Traviès de Villers, Julius Bien, John Gould, William Matthew Hart, Robert Bruce Horsfall, Rory McEwen, Basilius Besler, Christoph Jacob Trew, Giorgio Bonelli, George Brookshaw, Pierre Joseph Redoute, and Pierre-Antonie Poiteau.
After receiving his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Zoology in 1941 at Minnesota, he became the Chairman of the Biology department at Wilkes College in 1942. Dr. Reif maintained his interest in collecting natural history prints and in 1950, began to develop what he called, the “Minnich Collection of the Department of Biology of Wilkes College,” an eclectic assemblage of prints in many media dating from 1485 through 1899. It was his aim to develop a collection of prints for the Biology Department before they were too difficult or expensive to obtain and as a way of conserving the heritage of past biologists and artists.
Dr. Reif regarded the collection as a teaching aid and he used it to present a lecture each year during the Biology seminar course, “History of Biology.” Although the fundamental purpose of the collection was to teach natural history, the prints are also of interest to art historians and general historians. To study the history of biological illustration, one first examines early books on biology and horticulture. It is from these that many of the oldest prints in the Reif collection were taken. To obtain prints for sale, dealers cut up copies of the classic works so that the plates could be sold separately, a scheme unfortunately still practiced, which realized more money for the dealers but destroyed the books. A later practice was for publishers to print plates without text, to be sold as individual illustrations. Among the first scientific books to be printed were Herbals, which appeared between 1470 and 1670. The earliest Herbals included plants with medicinal value and described the plants and how they were used; later books, based on travel experiences, emphasized descriptions of the flora and fauna of various exotic regions. One work of this type by Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) was “Flora Lapponica” (1737) which described the plants of Lapland. Another book by Linnaaeus, “Hortus Cliffortianus” (1737), described and illustrated interesting plants in the Amsterdam garden of George Clifford, a wealthy Dutch financier and horticulturalist. With the discovery of sexuality in plants and successful use of sexual characteristics in plant classifications by Linnaeus, medical books, known as Pharmacopoeia, diverged from the botanically oriented works, which became known as Florae. The descriptive and often beautiful illustrations in these medical works and Florae were prepared primarily to illustrate the major features of particular plants or animals. Their aesthetic value, although secondary in purpose, is frequently of great importance to the modern collector. Various print media were developed to improve the quality of illustration. The earliest works used the carved end grain of wooden blocks to make line prints, which could be left black and white, or colored with supplementary blocks or by hand. Later methods used copper plates for engravings, etchings, and aquatints. In the nineteenth century the water resistant process of lithography was developed. Prints in the Reif collection illustrate the various media that preceded photography and the study of these prints reveals the historical progress of the accurate representation of plants and animals. This is especially evident in regard to birds:in early days only dead specimens, sometimes stuffed and mounted, were studied, and these were often placed in positions not true to life. An example of this is the work of Mark Catesby, an Englishman who worked in the early eighteenth century and who has been called the Founder of American Ornithology. As Roger Tory Petersen, American artist and author has commented: Catesby’s drawings are typical of those being done in Europe at that time. They are meticulously executed, but archaic and crude with little semblance of sound structural drawing. They do not for a moment give us the impression of living birds. Their antique captions give these quaint drawings a historical interest, but little more.” (“Baby Elephant Folio,” Audubon’s Birds of America, 1981, Introduction, p.10). In the late 18th and 19th centuries more realistic representations were obtained by drawing from life, or from specimens in life-like poses, placed in natural settings of flowers and scenery. Similarly, early botanical illustrations of plants often failed to provide structural details while later works sometimes introduced too many details. During the early period of scientific illustrations, the artist responsible for the drawing remained relatively anonymous. In later years artists such as Wilson, Gould, and Audubon were responsible for both the descriptive text and the original artwork, and the engravers or lithographers undertook reproduction and publication of the artist’s work; but naturalists often became involved in all phases of publication, from collecting and drawing to fundraising, printing, and sales. The books then published were magnificent works that represented the combined efforts of arts, printers, and publishers. The evolution of the international scientific naming system is illustrated in these prints. In the period before 1750 Carolus Linnaeus introduced the binomial system of classification, which gives every organism two names, a binomial which must be in correct Latin form and written in italics. First in the name of the genus–e.g.: Lilium, and the second indicates the species–e.g. superbum, –a superb or outstanding lily. The generic name is capitalized; the specific name is not. The name of the person to first describe the species follows, and completes the modern scientific name. In this case, the completel name is written as Lilium superbum Linnaeus, followed by the common name, “Turk’s Cap Lilly.” Common names vary in every country; and, although scientific names remain constant, opinion concerning the correct name for an organism may change, and the name given to the plant or animal on an early print may no longer be in use. For this reason corrections have been made on the checklist to reflect changes in nomenclature and in expert opinion. A print may show only a common name, or scientific name, or both. In some cases no name is used. Such aspects make the study of this collection interesting and valuable. -Robert E. Ogren, Ph.D., Wilkes College. Artists found within this collection include the following:
Leohart Fuches, John Gerard, Johann Von Cube or Johannes Von Cuba, Gustav Philip Trauter, John James Audubon, Francois LeVaillant, Kruger Jr. and Ludewig Schmidt, Mark Catesby, Prideaux John Selby, Conrad Gesner, Jakob Hoefnagel or Jacob Hoefinagel, August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, Eleazar Albin, Samuel Fallours, Franz Michael Regenfus, Francois Nicholas Martinet, Jean Jacques Ernst or J.J. Ernst, Christian Sepp, Thomas Bewick, Édouard Traviès de Villers, Julius Bien, John Gould, William Matthew Hart, Robert Bruce Horsfall, Rory McEwen, Basilius Besler, Christoph Jacob Trew, Giorgio Bonelli, George Brookshaw, Pierre Joseph Redoute, and Pierre-Antonie Poiteau.
Dates
- 1750 - 1853
Access:
Open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 1 boxes (1 print box and oversized items are in Mapcase M-1-3)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Series III: Wilkes Biology Department’s Flora prints, 1750-1853
Series III: Wilkes Biology Department’s Flora prints, 1750-1853 is arranged chronologically by date and contains prints of various flora and fruits such as tulips, liliums, roses, peaches, pears, and melons. These prints were collected by Wilkes biology professor Charles B. Reif sometime in In this series there is artwork by the following artists:
Rory McEwen was a Scottish artist and musician who was born on March 12, 1932 and passed away on October 16, 1982. Before he decided to devote his career to painting he was a guitarist and singer who performed in such venues as the Scala Theater and even the daily BBC Tonight TV program. From 1964 and on he decided to devote himself to painting where he would paint primarily plants such as flowers and leaves. His artwork can be seen in the British Museum, V&A, Tate Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Hunt Institute, Pittsburgh, and MOMA, New York, and in this collection as well. His artwork featured in this collection is the etching with aquatint pieces known as Old English Tulips #1 and Old English Tulips #2.
Basilius Besler was born on February 13, 1561, and passed away on March 13, 1629. He was a respected German apothecary and botanist who was known primarily for his Hortus Eystettensis, a short title produced in 1613 describing the plants of the garden of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstatt in Bavaria. To honor his legacy he was commemorated by Charles Plumier in the naming of a genus of shrubs known as bacteria. His artwork in this collection goes by the name of Four Roses.
Christoph Jacob Trew was a German botanist who was born on April 26, 1695, and passed away on July 18, 1769. He was originally a city solicitor, court physician, Count Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire, and advisor to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. He also had a passion for academic botany. He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the Berlin Academy, and the Florentine Botanical Society. In 1750 Trew began to work on Plantae Selectae Quarum Imagines and it had many illustrations by Georg Ehret. The artwork in this collection includes Lilium (Lilium Superbum, Turk's Cap Lily).
Giorgio Bonelli, born in 1742 and passed away in 1782, was a physician and botanist who lived in Rome, Italy. He taught medicine and write Hortus Romanus which was a series of 299 hand-colored plant prints within the first three volumes. His artwork in this collection includes the hand-colored engraving known as Opuntia Vulgo Herbariorum (Prickly Pear).
George Brookshaw, also known as G. Brown, was an English painter and illustrator who was born in 1751 and passed away in 1823. Before his career as a painter took off he spent his early career as a furniture painter which often featured floral decorations. As he got older he ended up publishing manuals on fruit, flowers, and birds. His artwork in this collection includes the hand-colored aquatint titled Polinac Melon.
Pierre Joseph Redoute was born on July 10, 1759, and passed away on June 19, 1840. He was a painter and botanist from Belgium who became known for his watercolor paintings of roses, lilies, and other flowers. He gained the nickname “The Raphael of Flowers” and some have even called him the greatest botanical illustrator of all time. His artwork in this collection includes the hand-colored lithograph known as Iris Squalens; Iris Sale.
Pierre-Antonie Poiteau was born on March 23, 1766, and passed away on February 27, 1854. He was a French botanist, gardener, and botanical artist. Known for his detailed paintings of fruit, his artwork in this collection includes his painting known as Pecher a'fleurs Frisees (Peach).
Rory McEwen was a Scottish artist and musician who was born on March 12, 1932 and passed away on October 16, 1982. Before he decided to devote his career to painting he was a guitarist and singer who performed in such venues as the Scala Theater and even the daily BBC Tonight TV program. From 1964 and on he decided to devote himself to painting where he would paint primarily plants such as flowers and leaves. His artwork can be seen in the British Museum, V&A, Tate Gallery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Hunt Institute, Pittsburgh, and MOMA, New York, and in this collection as well. His artwork featured in this collection is the etching with aquatint pieces known as Old English Tulips #1 and Old English Tulips #2.
Basilius Besler was born on February 13, 1561, and passed away on March 13, 1629. He was a respected German apothecary and botanist who was known primarily for his Hortus Eystettensis, a short title produced in 1613 describing the plants of the garden of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstatt in Bavaria. To honor his legacy he was commemorated by Charles Plumier in the naming of a genus of shrubs known as bacteria. His artwork in this collection goes by the name of Four Roses.
Christoph Jacob Trew was a German botanist who was born on April 26, 1695, and passed away on July 18, 1769. He was originally a city solicitor, court physician, Count Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire, and advisor to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. He also had a passion for academic botany. He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the Berlin Academy, and the Florentine Botanical Society. In 1750 Trew began to work on Plantae Selectae Quarum Imagines and it had many illustrations by Georg Ehret. The artwork in this collection includes Lilium (Lilium Superbum, Turk's Cap Lily).
Giorgio Bonelli, born in 1742 and passed away in 1782, was a physician and botanist who lived in Rome, Italy. He taught medicine and write Hortus Romanus which was a series of 299 hand-colored plant prints within the first three volumes. His artwork in this collection includes the hand-colored engraving known as Opuntia Vulgo Herbariorum (Prickly Pear).
George Brookshaw, also known as G. Brown, was an English painter and illustrator who was born in 1751 and passed away in 1823. Before his career as a painter took off he spent his early career as a furniture painter which often featured floral decorations. As he got older he ended up publishing manuals on fruit, flowers, and birds. His artwork in this collection includes the hand-colored aquatint titled Polinac Melon.
Pierre Joseph Redoute was born on July 10, 1759, and passed away on June 19, 1840. He was a painter and botanist from Belgium who became known for his watercolor paintings of roses, lilies, and other flowers. He gained the nickname “The Raphael of Flowers” and some have even called him the greatest botanical illustrator of all time. His artwork in this collection includes the hand-colored lithograph known as Iris Squalens; Iris Sale.
Pierre-Antonie Poiteau was born on March 23, 1766, and passed away on February 27, 1854. He was a French botanist, gardener, and botanical artist. Known for his detailed paintings of fruit, his artwork in this collection includes his painting known as Pecher a'fleurs Frisees (Peach).
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu