Hibiscus Lindlei (Mr. Lindley's Hibiscus): Paxton's Magazine of Botany and Register of Flowering Plants

London:: Wm S. Orr & Co.,, 1834.. First edition. Fine. A Fine original hand-colored engraving by Frederick W. Smith. Fine Condition. Octavo (6.25 x 9 inches). Presented and sold in Lowry-James' elegant signature matting treatment of a single Ivory Rag Mat with gilt French line decoration, sized to 12 x 16 inches and suitable for framing. The fine hand-colored engravings and lithographs from Paxton's Magazine of Botany and Register of Flowering Plants claim their honored place as highlights of Victorian botanical illustration. As the nineteenth century ushered in a profound era of plant hunting and gathering worldwide, newly discovered botanical specimens were brought to Europe for cultivation. Sir Joseph Paxton (1801- 1865) endeavored to include these fine discoveries as part of his floricultural monthly; The Magazine of Botany and Register of Flowering Plants, which also featured the favored British cultivars. Joseph Paxton was, at one time, superintendent of the gardens at Chatsworth House, owned by the Sixth Duke of Devonshire. In addition to horticulture, Sir Paxton's talents extended to Victorian garden design and architecture, which was evidenced by the creation of the Crystal Palace for the Exposition of 1851. An immense iron and glass structure, the Crystal Palace was the unparalleled showcase of Victorian innovation and design, the inspiration for which was Paxton's own Lily House at Chatsworth, where he displayed his prized Water Lilies. Paxton's design and creation of the Crystal Palace was a monumental achievement, for which he was knighted. (DeBelder, Sitwell: Great Flower Books) Matted in Rag Board