On View: The Fine works of Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore (1821-1887)
Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland
London: 1855
Pressed Nature Prints
Moore was an English botanist and gardener who most notably helped with the botanical design of Regent's Park gardens, and became editor of several gardening publications; Such as: the Gardeners' Magazine of Botany, the Garden Companion and Florists' Guide, the Floral Magazine, among others. He also acted as the secretary to the floral committee and floral director of the Royal Horticultural Society. Moore's passion was focused on the study of ferns, which lead to his extensive regional publication, Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland.
From the early fifteenth century on wards experiments with making prints from pressed leaves and flowers were conducted. The first ventures into this technique were relatively simple with the specimen inked and paper laid upon it. Pressure was then applied by hand to gain an impression. This rather crude method was advanced and perfected during the nineteenth century by the Imperial Printing Office in Vienna. Plants were now passed under pressure between a lead and a steel plate and an electrotype made, on the lead plate, from the impression. It was this innovative technique that Thomas Moore chose for the creation of the plates in his splendid book, Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland. The plates were produced for Moore by Henry Bradbury and are the finest example of nature-printing available. Indeed, Thomas Moore’s book heralded a craze for ferns during the nineteenth century perhaps because of the exquisite delicacy of the images projected.
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