Botanical Magazines

William Curtis, Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed. February 1787 - current
Botanist William Curtis found his passion in his twenties, and worked as Demonstrator of Botany at the Chelsea Physic Garden. As an artist, he began accurately illustrating plants and tried to market the works in volumes, but found many buyers couldn't afford expensive publications. He realized that issuing regular, shorter magazine that described showy plants that filled their gardens would sell, and from this premise was born the Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed. The work was immediately successful, published throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and is still produced to this day. The main glory of the Botanical Magazine has always been the colored plates. The majority of the earliest plates are by Sydenham Edwards, followed by many of the greatest British botanical illustrators of the last two hundred years, including James Sowerby, John Curtis, William Jackson Hooker and, for much of the second half of the 19th century, Walter Hood Fitch. In the 20th century the great tradition was continued by Lilian Snelling, Margaret Stones and others.
William Curtis, Botanical Magazine; or, Flower-Garden Displayed. vol. 1862.

Sydenham Edwards, Edwards’ Botanical Register

Edwards’ Botanical Register. v. 17. London: James Ridgway, 1829–
Originally known as The Botanical Register, this monthly publication was started by Welsh scientific illustrator Sydenham Edwards after he left employment at Curtis's Botanical Magazine. He notably illustrated dogs and birds, but by far is best known for his botanical illustrations. He trained under Willian Curtis as a young intern and proceeded to develop into a gifted and prolific artist, his illustrations true to floral details and colors. He worked on The Botanical Magazine until 1815, leaving to began is his own serial with greater freedom to illustrate at his own leisure. Unfortunately he passed after only five years after beginning the Botanical Register. Editorship eventually passed to John Lindley, another artist featured in this exhibit, who gave the publication the moniker Edwards’ Botanical Register. (Source)

The Floricultural Cabinet, and Florists Magazine by Joseph Harrison. London: Whitaker & Co., 1833–1859.
This serial publication was published from 1833– 1859. Articles concentrated on flower cultivation of common varieties, but also introduce new and rare species. Each issue included at least one colorized plate. In total, 123 lithographs were issued as part of the series run.