Marsh and White Helleborine, Antique British Orchid Plate, Pratt, circa 1873

This original antique botanical plate is Plate 212 of Volume V of Anne Pratt's The Flowering Plants, Grasses, Sedges, and Ferns of Great Britain, Frederick Warne and Co., circa 1873, showing four British helleborines. The printed key names the Marsh Helleborine, Large White Helleborine, Narrow-Leaved White Helleborine and Purple Helleborine. The Marsh Helleborine stands at the right with open pink and white flowers, frilled lips and yellow green sepals. The two white helleborines carry open cream and white flowers with yellow centers to the lips, the Large White at the left and the Narrow-Leaved White at the center and lower right. The Purple Helleborine rises at the top center with buds and flowers in deep rose pink. Long, pointed green leaves sheathe the stems and spread across the foot of the group.

The plate comes from The Flowering Plants, Grasses, Sedges, and Ferns of Great Britain by Anne Pratt (1806 to 1893), who wrote the text and drew the plants herself. The work was published in six volumes in London by Frederick Warne and Co. of Bedford Street, Covent Garden, for the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, with Scribner, Welford and Armstrong as the New York house. This sheet comes from Volume V, whose title page records 237 species in color. The color is printed, not applied by hand: the plates were printed in color by William Dickes of London, a licensee of George Baxter's color process. The plate number is printed at the upper right, and a numbered key below the image gives the English and Latin name of each plant shown.

Even age toning. Marked handling soiling along the bottom, right and top edges. Scattered foxing spots in the margins and into the image. Slight wear at the bottom right and top left corners. Small nicks along the bottom edge.

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