19th Century Documents

Hand painted lithographs are so beautiful and I adore them.  The depiction and documentation of nature in an artistic and scientific manner is fascinating.  These originals from 1826 are part of Louis Isidore Duperrey’s 3^rd volume of work “Voyage autour du monde:  Sur la corvette la Coquille”.  

Every detail, hair and dimple was carefully rendered showing each leg, antennae and armature.  Iridescent paints were used to reproduce the metallic shells of beetles and vivid colors for butterfly wings.  The colored depictions are accompanied often with line illustrations showing the segmentation of the insects. 

More information on the voyage and additional lithograph images...

 

The voyage of Captain Louis Isadore Duperrey on the corvette Coquille was a government expedition executed by the order of the King of France.  The expedition was assigned to document hydrographic conditions and produced valuable observations on the earth’s shape, ocean currents and terrestrial magnetism. 

During his explorations of many little-known areas of the South Pacific he collected an impressive array of geological, botanical and zoological specimens for the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle.  He and his collaborators worked extensively after their return to document their findings for publication.