From
the hundreds of fuchsia varieties which are breeded before the invention of the colour
photography (about 1900) the immense part is allready no longer existing. What is resting
of that are simple descriptions in old catalogues (among other things from Lemoine) and in
the first-appeared fuchsiabooks (like that of Felix Porcher). The only view about the
outward still provide to us 'Antique Botanical Prints' of a number of that disappeared
varieties. That are realy true to nature copied masterpieces by botanical artists as
Curtis, Paxton, Edwards en Harrison. By the art of engraving, which had taken possession
allready from 1700, that prints have been brought in picture via copper engravings
in botanical books. By handcoloring them, those engravings look afterthat like to be
painted. In some University librairies they have been preserved in volumes as 'Paxton's
Magazine of Botany', 'Sydenham Edwards The Botanical Register' and in still
a number of other antique botanical books. Special from some fuchsia species they form now
interessant comparison material with the still in circulation being varieties.
Preface
In 1986 I visit a member of the NKvF, who was known by his assembling
historical material about the fuchsia. My interest went out to historical material about
the hardy fuchsias, this for the benefit of the trial of hardy fuchsias on the
testingground in Velp.
He then
helped me to a number of interesting copies of historical articles about that subject. I
seldom have seen such a large collection of old fuchsia books and copies ( not yet in
colour) of various articles in relation to the fuchsia. He had assembled all that material
during visits to many Universities and other wellknown libraries. Via a camera - that was
hanging in a special support - he made a colour dia of a fuchsia print found in the
consulted archives material. And by him I saw for the first time on dias many of the
'antique botanical fuchsia prints'. Next of this text you see a picture of such a colour
print out of his assembling. This plate was added as the 'monthly colour fuchsia plate' in
a number of the Dutch fuchsia society magazine 'Fuchsiana' of the NKvF (Ned. Kring van
Fuchsiavrienden). Unfortunately I then could not find out the sources from where he had copied all
that nice
pictures.
'Neue
Fuchsien' - 1. Schwan 2. Majestica 3.
Spectabilis 4. Goliath 5. Erinnerung an Humboldt 6.
Fürst A.Schwarzenberg 7. Fürstin v. Diedrichstein. All seven
varieties are from the author Twrdy and published in the year 1866.
Now
I visit allready more than five year regular acquaintance auctionsites
and also sites of large antique dealers and search there for antique
botanical prints 'fuchsias'. That prints were
however formerly published in limited editions and while that plates are now seldom, they are mostly offered
against high prices. There you find also the names of 'botanical volumes' in which also
some 'antique fuchsia prints' are published. (somethimes also such an expensive complete
volume is offered).
.
Index
What prints via that sites are found by me and
the informationin in what botanical volumes
they are published, you find in the articles after the following links:
November
2008