Hawaiian Deep-Sea Fish Prints

These beautiful chromolithographs were executed by Julius Bien & Company for "Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission for 1903." The fish were mostly illustrated by A.H. Baldwin, among others, and published by the U.S. Government Printing Office in 1905. The article, "The Aquatic Resources of the Hawaiian Islands," by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann was also included in this bulletin. These prints are now very scarce, as only 250 copies of the bulletin were issued.

The U.S. Fish Commission was established in 1871. Spencer Fullerton Baird, who was the Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was the first commissioner, appointed by President Grant. According to the Archives Center of the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History, the commission "launched and carried out the first sustained study of marine biology in the United States. It was instrumental in the artificial propagation of fish, thus increasing the country's fish resources, and concentrating attention on the preservation of natural resources."

Each print measures approximately 10 1/4 inches by 7 1/2 inches with vibrant color on quality, slightly creamy paper that is clean, with some faint edge toning and a very few fox marks. The top date and plate number are intact, with some binding marks, as is typical for this issue. On a few, there are marginal repairs as shown. There is no descriptive text, but a copy of the title page will be provided.