Background:

These exquisite prints are from L'Illustration Horticole, one of the great Belgian horticultural periodicals of the 1800s.  Published from 1854 to 1896, L'Illustration Horticole featured a monthly review of noteworthy plants for the greenhouse and garden.  Included were descriptions, illustrations, history and advice on cultivating the plants.  In 1869 Jean Linden took over publication of the review (Linden is best known for his Iconography of Orchids). 

These prints are particularly noteworthy for the richness of the coloring, resulting from the chromolithographic process used to produce them.

The chromolithographs were prepared by Pieter de Pannemaeker, noted 19th century Belgium artist and lithographer.