printing Banks' Florilegium

In 1979, Alecto Historical Editions (AHE) approached the British Museum (Natural History) with the idea of printing and publishing a first complete edition of Banks’ Florilegium. The plates, nearly a ton of finest copper, were still stored, encased in their original wrappers, on the bottom shelf of a cupboard in the Botany Library. Joseph Banks, although he had intended to publish them, for a number of reasons, never fulfilled this ambition. The Natural History Museum and AHE moved ahead to publish what became the largest printing project of the 20th Century.

In 1979, Alecto Historical Editions (AHE) approached the British Museum (Natural History) with the idea of printing and publishing a first complete edition of Banks’ Florilegium. The plates, nearly a ton of finest copper, were still stored, encased in their original wrappers, on the bottom shelf of a cupboard in the Botany Library. Joseph Banks, although he had intended to publish them, for a number of reasons, never fulfilled this ambition. The Natural History Museum and AHE moved ahead to publish what became the largest printing project of the 20th Century.

COPPER PLATE LINE ENGRAVING

Copper plate line engraving is one of the most demanding and skilful of printmaking techniques. The engraver cuts directly into the polished metal with a set of burins, engraving tools of different sizes and thickness, building up a network of lines to create the finished image. It requires a steady hand and sharp eyes. The illustrations in the majority of eighteenth-century natural history books were usually coloured with water-based pigments, painted on to each print by hand. The knowledge that the plates were going to be hand-coloured allowed the engraver to cut fewer lines.

 

The Florilegium plates are unique because Banks insisted that every botanical detail should be cut into the plates so that even when printed in black the impressions could be used for scientific study. Every turn of a leaf or twist of a stem is determined by the width and depth of the engraved line.

Copper is a relatively soft metal. To protect the engraved lines during the à la poupée printing, the plate have been electro plated with a minutely thin layer of chromium.

COPPER PLATE LINE ENGRAVING

Copper plate line engraving is one of the most demanding and skilful of printmaking techniques. The engraver cuts directly into the polished metal with a set of burins, engraving tools of different sizes and thickness, building up a network of lines to create the finished image. It requires a steady hand and sharp eyes. The illustrations in the majority of eighteenth-century natural history books were usually coloured with water-based pigments, painted on to each print by hand. The knowledge that the plates were going to be hand-coloured allowed the engraver to cut fewer lines.

 

The Florilegium plates are unique because Banks insisted that every botanical detail should be cut into the plates so that even when printed in black the impressions could be used for scientific study. Every turn of a leaf or twist of a stem is determined by the width and depth of the engraved line.

Copper is a relatively soft metal. To protect the engraved lines during the à la poupée printing, the plate have been electro plated with a minutely thin layer of chromium.

Banks Florilegium The engraved copper plate for Helichrysum armillaris (Plate 740) encased in its protective chromium facing

The engraved copper plate for Helichrysum Armillaris (Plate 740) encased in its protective chromium facing

Banks Florilegium The engraved plate, a black trial proof and a finished print of Plate 740 Helichrysum armillaris

The engraved plate, a black trial proof and a finished print of Plate 740 Helichrysum Armillaris

AHE Banks' Florilegium plate detail

Detail of Plate 740 Helichrysum Armillaris

PRINTING IN COLOUR

Although it is known that Banks had contacts with French colour printers, there is no documentary evidence to indicate whether or not Banks intended to produce his Florilegium in monochrome or colour. Alecto’s initial intention was to print in black, but experiments by the Master Printer, Edward Egerton-Williams showed that superb results could be achieved by printing in colour à la poupée. In this process, invented in the seventeenth century by the Dutch printer Johannes Teyler (1648–1709), individual colours in the print are worked into the plate with a twist of cloth (the poupée or dolly). When all of the lines are filled, and the white areas wiped clean, the inked-up plate, with a sheet of dampened paper placed over it, is laid on the press, cushioned by tissue and blankets to even out the pressure on its passage through the rollers.

PRINTING IN COLOUR

Although it is known that Banks had contacts with French colour printers, there is no documentary evidence to indicate whether or not Banks intended to produce his Florilegium in monochrome or colour. Alecto’s initial intention was to print in black, but experiments by the Master Printer, Edward Egerton-Williams showed that superb results could be achieved by printing in colour à la poupée. In this process, invented in the seventeenth century by the Dutch printer Johannes Teyler (1648–1709), individual colours in the print are worked into the plate with a twist of cloth (the poupée or dolly). When all of the lines are filled, and the white areas wiped clean, the inked-up plate, with a sheet of dampened paper placed over it, is laid on the press, cushioned by tissue and blankets to even out the pressure on its passage through the rollers.

Banks Florileguim inking up a plate a la poupeé

Inking up a plate a la poupeé

Banks' Florilegium Stage proofs for Plate 275

Stage proofs for Plate 275 Xylomelum Pyriforme

Bank's Florilegium plate 275 fresh off the rolling press

A finished print of Plate 275 being pulled off the press

The giant wheel of the rolling press is turned and the pressure of the steel cylinders forces the damp paper into the plate. When it emerges on the other side of the press the paper is peeled off like a transfer to reveal a perfect colour print. Any ink left in the plate is wiped clean and the whole process of inking up begins again for the next impression. It is a laborious process, but it produces beautifully sharp images and, importantly, ensures that every detail from the engraved plate is retained.

The giant wheel of the rolling press is turned and the pressure of the steel cylinders forces the damp paper into the plate. When it emerges on the other side of the press the paper is peeled off like a transfer to reveal a perfect colour print. Any ink left in the plate is wiped clean and the whole process of inking up begins again for the next impression. It is a laborious process, but it produces beautifully sharp images and, importantly, ensures that every detail from the engraved plate is retained.

MIXING THE COLOURS

MIXING THE COLOURS

To ensure that each coloured print was botanically accurate, all colours were agreed and approved by the Botanical Editor at the Natural History Museum, with careful reference to the original watercolours held in the Botany Library of the Natural History Museum.

The inks for each plate were individually made up from boiled linseed oil and pure ground pigment, ground out with a ‘muller’ to achieve a smooth texture. Enough ink for the run of 116 prints, was made up for each colour and put in tubes, with the ‘recipe’ inscribed on its side.

Store of pure ground pigments

Batches of colours are mixed up individually for each plate

à la poupée

Printing à la poupée is in essence a very sophisticated exercise in 'printing by numbers' and, as a guide, the printers were provided with an offset master print for reference, marked up with the correct colour for each area of the plate. Depending on the range and complexity of the colours, the printing for each impression could take a mere thirty minutes, or, due to the complexity of the image, go so slowly that only three prints could be made in one day.

Plate 275 being inked up. Note the tubes of ink and the twists of cloth (poupees or dollies) for printing.

Plate 275 being inked up. Note the tubes of ink and the twists of cloth (poupees or dollies) for printing.

Most plates required small botanical details – the tips of stamens or the gradation of colours on a flower, for example – to be painted in by hand by artists using sable brushes.

AHE_Tom Milne adding detail in watercolour.jpg
Watercolourist adding detail

THE MOUNTS


Each print is encased in a mount which contains the botanical information together with the date and locality of where the specimen was collected and the names of the artists and engraver who worked on the image. Printed on hand letterpresses by Ian Mortimer at I. M. Imprimit, in the 18th century typefaces Founder’s Caslon Old Face and Old Face Open, the mounts create a window frame around each print.

 

THE MOUNTS


Each print is encased in a mount which contains the botanical information together with the date and locality of where the specimen was collected and the names of the artists and engraver who worked on the image. Printed on hand letterpresses by Ian Mortimer at I. M. Imprimit, in the 18th century typefaces Founder’s Caslon Old Face and Old Face Open, the mounts create a window frame around each print.

 

THE EDITION

The edition is published in a limited edition of 100 prints with ten additional hors commerce sets, three sets of printers’ proofs and three exhibition sets.

THE EDITION

The edition is published in a limited edition of 100 prints with ten additional hors commerce sets, three sets of printers’ proofs and three exhibition sets.

AHE Banks Florilegium printer's marks
AHE Banks Florilegium printer's marks

Each sheet is embossed with the chops of the two publishers, AHE and BM (NH) (for the Natural History Museum), and the Welsh dragon of the Master Printer. The Plate and Edition number, together with the initials of the printer responsible for the particular print, are recorded in pencil.

Each sheet is embossed with the chops of the two publishers, AHE and BM (NH) (for the Natural History Museum), and the Welsh dragon of the Master Printer. The Plate and Edition number, together with the initials of the printer responsible for the particular print, are recorded in pencil.