Plate - 1891 - 1898

This print, Pteridophora Alberti, was made by William Matthew Hart. The original watercolor would have been translated onto stone, one for each color, before being printed onto paper through a lithographic process. The result is a feat of labor and artisanship, as each print would require a careful application of ink and precise alignment of the stones. The paper itself, likely made from cotton or linen rags, speaks to a time when even the most mundane materials carried a certain weight of history and process. The bird's features, carefully rendered, also tell us something about the relationship between art and science, and the role of the artist in documenting and classifying the natural world. In this context, the print becomes not just a pretty picture, but a cultural artifact. It's a document reflecting social attitudes towards labor, nature, and the pursuit of knowledge during the 19th century.