description

Stunning, rare, and beautifully preserved flower studies of early-20th-century botanical pressings, each elegantly framed and accompanied by handwritten corner notes recording the plant’s name, class, family, and other botanical details. Together, these works offer a wonderful glimpse into the tradition of botanical study and the quiet beauty of natural history preserved on paper.

The first pressing is of a Swedish whitebeam tree, known in Sweden as Oxel, a handsome member of the rose family (Rosaceae). Native to the Baltic Sea region of southern Scandinavia, the whitebeam tree has long been admired throughout northern Europe and the British Isles for its remarkable hardiness and tolerance. Equally at home in city streets, parks, and open landscapes, it is celebrated as resilient and enduring. This specimen is dated 1930, its delicate pressed foliage retaining the character of the living plant nearly a century later.

The second pressing is of a Rouen lilac, a wonderfully fragrant, fast-growing deciduous hybrid created from the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and Persian lilac (Syringa persica). This variety is associated with Rouen, France, where it originated in 1777, adding charming French horticultural history to this piece. Dated 1901, the pressing captures a botanical subject that was already cherished for its beauty and perfume more than a century ago.

Gorgeously aged and wonderfully uncommon, these framed specimens are far more than decorative botanical studies. They are rare surviving records of plants, horticultural history, and early botanical documentation, preserving both the delicacy of the specimens themselves and the handwritten observations of the person who carefully catalogued them. Their age, provenance in botanical tradition, and beautifully preserved presentation make these pieces especially compelling for collectors of natural history, antique botanical art, and objects with a sense of quiet, scholarly beauty.

*Sold individually.

Dimensions | 16.5” H x 10.5” W x .75” D

Helpful Notes: 

• Each piece in our flea market collection carries with it a story—crafted and lived through the hands of time. You may notice the gentle marks of its journey, whether in the form of a tiny chip, a well-worn edge, or a delicate scratch.
• All flea items are final sale.