Land Molluscs, Antique Chromolithograph of Snails and Slugs by H. Morin, 1896

This is an original antique chromolithograph, printed in color, from 1896. The caption printed beneath the image reads "LAND MOLLUSCS."

Snails and slugs crowd a woodland bank of moss, leaves and fungi. At the upper left a pink shelled snail climbs a leafy branch and a yellow banded snail hangs below it. Wild strawberry plants rise through the middle, one berry being eaten by a small slug. A large dark slug climbs over a brown mushroom at the left, and a gray slug and a tall spired shell rest on a cut stump at the right, beside a dandelion. Banded snails sit in the center and at the right, a large brown snail crawls across the lower left, and small shells and clusters of eggs lie in the moss. At the lower right a black beetle feeds on an orange mushroom.

The plate is signed in the image at the lower right by H. Morin. No plate number or printer's line appears on the sheet.

The plate comes from The Royal Natural History, a popular illustrated natural history in six volumes edited by the zoologist Richard Lydekker and published in London by Frederick Warne and Co. in 1893 to 1896. The title page that accompanies these plates is dated 1896, which is the date given for this sheet.

Even age toning. Marked handling soiling along the left and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. A small water stain at the bottom left corner.

This is an original antique plate, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.