Background:

These prints are from a series of reports published by the US Department of Agriculture in the late 1800s describing their Mushroom research.  In addition to describing varieties of edible and poisonous Mushrooms found in the United States, there is also a discussion on cultivation methods used both domestically and in Europe.  It is interesting to note that in the report for 1892 the Mushrooms that are portrayed included specimens that were displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition.