Skip to main content
Items Similar to Lessons from the Vegetable World: Robert Mackenzie Stark Botanical Prints 1858
19th Century Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings in Victorian Style
19th Century Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings in Victorian Style
Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints
Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints
Botanical Hand-colored Copperplate engraving by Edward Dalton Smith
Botanical Hand-colored Copperplate engraving by Edward Dalton Smith
Set of Twelve Late 18th Century Botanical Prints by Woodville
Set of Twelve Late 18th Century Botanical Prints by Woodville
Vintage Ehret Botanical Prints - Set of 2
Vintage Ehret Botanical Prints - Set of 2
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann Framed Pair Of Botanical Prints
Johann Wilhelm Weinmann Framed Pair Of Botanical Prints
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 15

Lessons from the Vegetable World: Robert Mackenzie Stark Botanical Prints 1858

$1,400per set
£1,058.44per set
€1,235.61per set
CA$1,992.13per set
A$2,020.66per set
CHF 1,153.85per set
MX$24,470.85per set
NOK 13,583.66per set
SEK 13,538.58per set
DKK 9,236.30per set

About the Item

Lessons from the Vegetable World: Robert Mackenzie Stark Botanical Prints 1858 This pair of botanical prints was created by Robert Mackenzie Stark (1815–1873) for the mid-Victorian educational volume titled The Instructive Picturebook, or Lessons from the Vegetable World. Published in Edinburgh by Edmonston & Douglas circa 1858, these plates depict a variety of climbing plants and wildflowers. The first print depicts Phlox cordata, commonly known as the Heart-leaved Lychnidea, showcasing a striking cluster of soft pink and purple blossoms with delicate trumpet-shaped petals. The second print depicts Streptanthera cuprea, commonly known as the Copper-colored Streptanthera, displaying a highly vibrant star-shaped bloom in shades of orange and copper accented by deep purple and yellow centers. Stark, a prominent Edinburgh-based nurseryman and a fellow of both the Botanical and Royal Physical Societies, leveraged his deep expertise to combine scientific accuracy with an aesthetic appeal intended to engage young students. The work is frequently associated with the prolific English author Charlotte Mary Yonge, who compiled and edited the series to provide a visual education for children through detailed natural history illustrations. Dimensions 17 inches High 13 1/4 inches Wide 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) Deep Condition Report These plates were produced as hand-colored engravings—a meticulous process where images were carved into plates and finished by hand with watercolors—though some editions utilized the groundbreaking chromolithography process for mass production. The prints remain vibrant examples of mid-19th-century natural history illustration. Provenance Created by Robert Mackenzie Stark and published by Edmonston & Douglas, Edinburgh, circa 1858. Historical Context Robert Mackenzie Stark’s work in The Instructive Picturebook represents a definitive example of how 19th-century educational materials utilized high-quality natural history illustrations to teach botanical lessons. During the mid-Victorian era, there was a significant cultural obsession with the natural world, leading to a trend of "instructive" literature designed to foster scientific curiosity in young minds. These prints blend artistic beauty with botanical precision to document the flora of the British countryside and beyond, reflecting a period where high-quality color printing techniques were making vivid educational imagery more accessible. Stark’s dual background as a nurseryman and a society fellow ensured that these "lessons from the vegetable world" were both scientifically grounded and decoratively sophisticated. (Ref: NY11107-ccux)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 17 in (43.18 cm)Width: 13.25 in (33.66 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
  • Sold As:
    Set of 2
  • Style:
    Country (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Paper
  • Place of Origin:
    England
  • Period:
    Mid-19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1858
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Downingtown, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: NY11107-ccux1stDibs: LU861050319262

More From This Seller

View All
Robert Mackenzie Stark Pair of Botanical Prints from ‘Lessons from the Vegetable

Robert Mackenzie Stark Pair of Botanical Prints from ‘Lessons from the Vegetable

Robert Mackenzie Stark Pair of Botanical Prints from ‘Lessons from the Vegetable

Located in Downingtown, PA

Botanical Brilliance: Robert Mackenzie Stark’s ‘Lessons from the Vegetable World’ 1858 This exquisite set of four botanical prints was created by Robert Mackenzie Stark for the mid-...

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English Victorian Prints

Materials

Paper

Set of Botanical Prints by W. Thompson, "The English Flower Garden"

Set of Botanical Prints by W. Thompson, "The English Flower Garden"

Set of Botanical Prints by W. Thompson, "The English Flower Garden"

Located in Downingtown, PA

Victorian Botanical Splendor: Set of 6 Framed Prints by W. Thompson from "The English Flower Garden" (First Edition, 1852–1853) A charming and decorative set of six antique botanica...

Category

Antique 1850s English Victorian Prints

Materials

Paper

Botanical Prints by Sir Joseph Paxton from The Magazine of Botany

Botanical Prints by Sir Joseph Paxton from The Magazine of Botany

Botanical Prints by Sir Joseph Paxton from The Magazine of Botany

Located in Downingtown, PA

A Pair of Botanical Prints from Paxton’s Magazine of Botany: Rhododendron standishii and Camellia japonica miniata (Low’s) S. Holden, del. & lith. (Rhododendron); lithographer unid...

Category

Antique Mid-19th Century English Country Prints

Materials

Paper

Botanical Hand-colored Copperplate engraving by Edward Dalton Smith

Botanical Hand-colored Copperplate engraving by Edward Dalton Smith

Botanical Hand-colored Copperplate engraving by Edward Dalton Smith

Located in Downingtown, PA

Botanical Brilliance: Edward Dalton Smith’s Copperplate Engravings 1829 This exquisite pair of hand-colored copperplate engravings represents the precision and artistry of the celeb...

Category

Antique 1820s English Early Victorian Prints

Materials

Paper

Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints, Plate 11 & 31

Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints, Plate 11 & 31

Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints, Plate 11 & 31

Located in Downingtown, PA

Victorian Blooms: Pair of Botanical Prints by Jane Wells Loudon, Plates 11 & 31, Circa 1843 This exquisite pair of hand-colored lithographs is by the celebrated botanical artist Jan...

Category

Antique 1840s English Country Prints

Materials

Paper

Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints

Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints

Jane Wells Loudon Botanical Prints

By Jane Loudon

Located in Downingtown, PA

Victorian Blooms: Pair of Botanical Prints by Jane Wells Loudon, Plates 11 & 31, Circa 1843 This exquisite pair of hand-colored lithographs is by the celebrated botanical artist Jan...

Category

Antique 1840s English Early Victorian Prints

Materials

Paper

You May Also Like

19th Century Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings in Victorian Style

19th Century Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings in Victorian Style

19th Century Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings in Victorian Style

Located in Seaford, GB

Pair of 19th-century British plant botanicals Engravings with Insects – John Curtis (1791-1862) Sold as a pair -  Please let us know your choice on your purchase order: 1 - Dandeli...

Category

Antique 19th Century English Victorian Prints

Materials

Paper

Pair Antique Curtis Botanical Garden Engravings Caper Shrub Flowered Neottia 28"

Pair Antique Curtis Botanical Garden Engravings Caper Shrub Flowered Neottia 28"

Pair Antique Curtis Botanical Garden Engravings Caper Shrub Flowered Neottia 28"

Located in Dayton, OH

Pair of Antique Curtis Botanical Magazine Garden Colored engravings. Caper Shrub, No 291 Circa 1795 Frosted-Flowered Neottia, No 1036 Circa 1807 Professionally matted and framed un...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century British Victorian Prints

Materials

Hardwood, Paper

Set of Nine Botanical Lithograph Prints after Louis Van Houtte

Set of Nine Botanical Lithograph Prints after Louis Van Houtte

Set of Nine Botanical Lithograph Prints after Louis Van Houtte

Located in Rio Vista, CA

An impressive grand set of nine framed botanical hand-colored etching lithographs after 19th century horticulturist Louis Van Houtte (Belgium 1810-1876) who was with the Jardin Botan...

Category

Antique 19th Century Belgian Victorian Prints

Materials

Giltwood, Paper

Johann Wilhelm Weinmann Framed Pair Of Botanical Prints

Johann Wilhelm Weinmann Framed Pair Of Botanical Prints

Johann Wilhelm Weinmann Framed Pair Of Botanical Prints

Located in Essex, MA

With strikingly bright images set in a giltwood frame with inset glass. Triple matted with marbled board. Very minor foxing and very minor chipping on outer edge of frame that will ...

Category

Antique Mid-18th Century German Prints

Materials

Mirror, Wood, Giltwood, Paper