Louis van Houtte Flore des Serres 1858

Louis van Houtte Flore des Serres 1858

Flore de Serres et des Jardins de l'Europe (Flowers of the Greenhouses and Gardens of Europe) was founded by Louis van Houtte, owner of the most successful nursery of the time on the European continent, and edited together with the prominent botanist Charles Lemaire. The journal, with more than 2000 plates, was a showcase for lavish engravings of unique botanicals from around the world. The lavishly illustrated plates, hand colored or finished lithographs contain a wonderful selection of plants following the interests of the famous contributors of the era - orchids, palms, rhododendrons, azaleas and exotic plants among the 23 volumes. Most of the plants depicted in the journal were for sale in van Houtte's nursery, so in one sense these plates acted as his catalogue. Each print measures approximately 6 1/4 inches by 9 1/2 inches.