Historic Images

Explore the beauty of fleas, fungi, and other unlikely things with these historic illustrations of some of the earliest microscope images. This 8.5 x 11 inch coloring book contains every plate from Robert Hooke's 1665 publication Micrographia in high resolution. Each illustration is printed on one side of the page, with a brief quote from Micrographia and room for notes on the other side. Robert Hooke (1635-1703) is somewhat obscure today, due in part to the enmity of his famous, influential, and extremely vindictive colleague, Sir Isaac Newton. Yet Hooke was perhaps the single greatest experimental scientist of the seventeenth century. His reputation in the history of biology largely rests on his book Micrographia, published in 1665. Using his compound microscope and illumination system, he observed organisms as diverse as insects, sponges, bryozoans, foraminifera, and bird feathers. Micrographia was an accurate and detailed record of his observations, illustrated with magnificent drawings. (Thanks to Ben Waggoner ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/hooke.html)

Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard (1803-1847) was a French artist and satirist who was known by his pseudonym, J. J. Grandville. Un Autre Monde (Another World), published in 1844, was a highly original work, its surreal illustrations veering from whimsical to nightmarish. This coloring book contains thirty-thigh-resolutionion reproductions of the original illustrations. Illustrations are on one side of a page, with room for notes on the other side.

Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard (1803-1847) was a French artist and satirist who was known by his pseudonym, J. J. Grandville. In  Vie Privée et Publique des Animaux (The Private and Public Lives of Animals),  first published in 1842, the animals of the world shake off human oppression and form their own government. Upon closer inspection, some of the beasts appear surprisingly human. This coloring book contains thirty-two high-resolution reproductions of the original illustrations.

Henry Justice Ford (1860–1941) was an English artist and illustrator, best known for his illustrations of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. Andrew Lang (1844–1912) was a poet, novelist, and literary critic. It was thanks to Lang, Lang’s wife Leonore Blanche Alleyne, and other translators that many international folk tales saw their first appearance in English. This coloring book contains high-resolution reproductions of H.J. Ford’s gorgeous and sensual illustrations from Lang’s Pink Fairy Book (1904) and Grey Fairy Book (1905).

What is it about mermaids? Starting with the Assyrian mermaid-goddess Atargatis, aquatic people have appeared in the folklore of cultures around the world. Mermaids, along with their water-loving relations Sirens, Nymphs, Sprites, and Nixies, continue to capture our imagination. Now Hawaiian Heritage Press introduces a mermaid coloring book that meets the high standards of the Historic Images series. The mermaid images for this book were selected from libraries and archives worldwide, then digitally "sweetened" to enhance the coloring experience and restore the pictures to their former glory. Thirty-two high-quality black and white pictures are printed on a single side of each 8.5 x 11 inch / 21.5 x 28 cm page, with room on the opposite side for name, date, and notes. Please note: Mermaids have not always adhered to contemporary standards of modesty. Ariel may sport a discreet shell bra, but many of the historic illustrations in this coloring book contain upper-body nudity.

Henry Justice Ford (1860–1941) was an English artist and illustrator, best known for his Art Nouveau illustrations of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. The illustrations in this adult coloring book are drawn from H.J. Ford's graceful and dynamic illustrations of the male figure.

Artist Robert Anning Bell was an English architect and art professor, who taught at the Royal College of Art, exhibited his work at the Royal Academy, and worked on mosaics for the Palace of Westminster. A decade before all of these accomplishments, Bell illustrated the 1902 collection of the poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley. The illustrations are executed in classic Art Nouveau style, the graceful figures done in flowing, liquid lines. The high-quality illustrations in this coloring book have been digitally cleaned and de-yellowed, and printed on one side of each 8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm) page for a pleasurable coloring experience.

An Imagined Shore is the second volume of the illustrations of Robert Anning Bell. Bell was an English architect and art professor, who taught at the Royal College of Art, exhibited his work at the Royal Academy, and worked on mosaics for the Palace of Westminster. A decade before all of these accomplishments, Bell illustrated the 1902 collection of the poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley. The illustrations are executed in classic Art Nouveau style, the graceful figures done in flowing, liquid lines. The high-quality illustrations in this coloring book have been digitally cleaned and de-yellowed, and printed on one side of each 8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm) page for a pleasurable coloring experience.

Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) died too young to be an Edwardian (the Edwardian age lasted from 1901 to 1910). But although tuberculosis claimed Beardsley at the age of 25, during his short life he created a body of work that epitomized the fluid elegance that the modern viewer recognizes in Downton Abbey and Merchant-Ivory films. His black and white illustrations capture the gorgeousness and the absurdity of fashion, both Victorian and historical. The 32 high-quality illustrations in this coloring book have been digitally cleaned and de-yellowed, and printed on one side of each 8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm) page for a pleasurable coloring experience. Note: Some of the drawings in this volume are from FIFTY DRAWINGS BY AUBREY BEARDSLEY. Selected from the collection owned by Mr. H. S. Nichols. Published for subscribers only. New York: H. S. Nichols, 1920. The illustrations in this volume are believed to be forgeries. Can you spot the genuine Beardsley drawings?

William T. Horton was one of a circle of artists and writers that included Richard Burton, Aubrey Beardsley, Aleister Crowley, Ernest Dowson, Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, and Max Beerbohm. Horton’s black and white Art Nouveau drawings are striking in their elegance and simplicity, making them ideal for meditative and therapeutic coloring.

“I do not draw cats well,” Beatrix Potter reportedly complained to her publisher in 1916. But Potter continued to draw cats, and drew them beautifully. A century later, Miss Potter’s cats continue to beguile and amuse. The high quality images in this coloring book are reproductions of Beatrix Potter’s original line drawings, formatted for your coloring pleasure. This Beatrix Potter adult coloring book makes a great gift for cat fanciers and Potter fans.

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were— Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree. This coloring book features Beatrix Potter’s black and white line drawings, as seen in the original 1901 edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit.