Publication Date:
2007-10-08
Description:
Three works from the early 19th century stand out as having influenced the development of scientific palaeobotany: Schlotheim's Beschreibungen merkwurdiger Krauter-Abdrucke (1804, printed by Becker, Gotha), Sternberg's Flora der Vorwelt, [Volume I: 1820-1821, (Parts 1 and 2), printed by F. Fleischer, Leipzig; 1823-1825 (parts 3 and 4), printed by E. Brenck's Wittwe, Regensburg: Volume II: 1833 (Parts 5 and 6), printed by J. Spurny, Prague; 1838 (Parts 7 and 8), printed by G. Hasse und Sohre, Prague] and Brongniart's Histoire des vegetaux fossiles (1828-1837, 1837-1838, printed by G. Dufour & E. d'Ocagne, Paris). The text of all three works contains important insights into the nature of plant fossils and how they relate to modern-day vegetation. Significantly, however, they are also among the first published works to include accurate images of plant fossils, and thus raised the awareness of the scientific community as to the importance of such fossils. Schlotheim's illustrations were based on his own drawings and were reproduced as etchings by the well-known botanical illustrator Johann Capieux of Leipzig. Sternberg's illustrations were based on original artwork prepared by various artists, many of whom were essentially landscape and portrait artists. The final illustrations were again reproduced as etchings, prepared by another eminent botanical illustrator Jacob Sturm of Nuremberg. Brongniart's illustrations are quite different, being lithographs, prepared by Mme Ve Noel, L. Houloup and Thierry freres'. They were based on drawings by various artists, although most were, in effect, copies of originals prepared by Brongniart. ... This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
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