#Zoölogische Wandplaten

[arthistoryanimalia]

#wall charts#biological wall charts#scientific wall charts#natural history#scientific illustrations#Sarah Finn#Paul Pfurtscheller#Zoölogische Wandplaten#chromolithographs#Yay chromoliths!#Martinus Nijhoff#Adam Gatternicht#A.J. Nystrom & Co.#Clay-Adams Co.#mosquitoes#lobsters#starfish#snails

Sarah Strikes Again!

On December 30, the very last research day of 2022, our former long-time graduate intern and social media science editor Sarah Finn (now the Archival Projects Librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library) visited Special Collections to do research with some of our rare or scarce natural history publications including these four early-20th-century biological wall charts. As we unrolled the charts onto our tables (a two-person effort), we were so struck by the exquisite presentation of these invertebrates, we just had to share.

The undated, chromolithographic charts, measuring approximately 135 x 130 cm (4.4 x 4.3 ft.), were produced by Austrian zoologist and natural history artist Paul Pfurtscheller (1855-1927). They form part of his Zoölogische Wandplaten series which began in 1902 and included about 70 charts. The first charts in the series were originally published in Vienna by A. Pichler’s Witwe & Sohn, and we hold a few of these earliest charts. The charts shown here, however, were printed in Stuttgart by Adam Gatternicht lithographers for The Hague publisher Martinus Nijhoff, and distributed in the U.S. by a variety of firms, including A.J. Nystrom & Co. in Chicago and Clay-Adams Co. in New York.

Thanks to Alice Ladrick our department manager for taking the photos. We particularly like the rather jolly-looking snail in the last image!

View other posts from our Biological Wall Chart collection.

View post from our Science Saturday series, initiated by Sarah.

View all posts by and about Sarah Finn, who was also our fine press, botany, and decorative arts editor.