In an age when art and science had not yet diverged and documenting the visual world was still an artist’s crucial role, French printing was preeminent. In the turbulent political environment of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, natural history artists and skilled printers in Paris created works of unparalleled refinement.

Histoire Naturelle des Orangers Joseph Antoine Risso and Antoine Poiteau Paris 1818–1822 color-printed stipple engravings

Histoire Naturelle des Perroquets François Levaillant Paris 1801-1805 color-printed stipple engravings

Histoire Naturelle des Orangers Joseph Antoine Risso and Antoine Poiteau Paris 1818–1822 color-printed stipple engravings