These intricately detailed prints are from “The Nature-Printed British Ferns” by printing company Bradbury and Evans, published in 1859. They were created using the “nature-printed” process developed by the Austrian Alois Auer and perfected by Henry Bradbury. In this unique process, a plant is pressed into a plate of soft lead, leaving an impression from which an electrotype is made. The resultant prints are incredibly life-like and true to nature, capturing the fine detail of each fern without the interpretation of an engraver or artist.
