Old Tree, from the first issue of Specimens of Polyautography Possibly 1801 - 1803

"Old Tree" is a 19th-century black and white print by Thomas Hearne. The image is dominated by a large tree, its branches reaching up into the sky, while smaller trees and shrubs occupy the foreground. In the distance, one can barely make out a building or structures. This print, most likely part of a publication called "Specimens of Polyautography", is a fascinating example of Hearne's detailed and naturalistic approach to landscape illustration. The Art Institute of Chicago houses this intricate example of 19th-century printmaking.