Downing, Andrew Jackson (1815-1852) The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America.

Description:

Downing, Andrew Jackson (1815-1852) The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America. New York: Wiley & Putnam, 1847. Large octavo, modern black morocco, the first edition to contain hand-colored images of fruit, illustrated with sixty-seven plates; light foxing, plates generally clean, with fresh colors, 9 1/2 x 5 3/4 in.
Downing's work is especially strong in its information on varieties of apple. This edition employs the same plates used in the edition of 1845, but is printed on larger paper. The plates themselves were produced in Paris and then shipped to the U.S. where they were added to the printed text. Each fruit is a separate work of art, with veining, dots, and striations all done meticulously by hand in many colors. Even blemishes are carefully delineated. Downing, born in Newburgh, New York, is considered the founder of American landscape architecture.
Provenance: The Estate of David Spinney.
Estimate $4,000-6,000


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