I've shared quite a few vintage butterfly collections on Pictureboxblue over the years, but these illustrations are a little different. Rather than focusing solely on butterflies and moths, many of these prints tell the whole story. Alongside the colourful adults, you'll often spot the caterpillars, chrysalises and even the plants they feed on. I think...
Explore Victorian-era insect art with these free downloadable entomology plates from Leaves from the Book of Nature. If you’ve been following along with my series on Leaves from the Book of Nature, you might remember the post I shared on the mammal plates from Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library. This time, it’s all about insects. Victorian naturalists...
Explore grouped vintage animal prints of mammals from Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library. These free public domain illustrations are perfect for classroom use, creative projects, and nature-themed home decor. A Hidden Gem of Vintage Animal Prints If you’ve enjoyed the popular Adolphe Millot animal charts featured here on Pictureboxblue, you’re going to love this collection too. This...
Discover a stunning selection of 16th-century nature prints by Joris Hoefnagel. His masterpiece, the Four Elements, showcases creatures of fire, earth, water and air. From insects and frogs to birds, fish, mammals and more, beautifully illustrated with Renaissance detail and charm. If you love detailed nature illustrations with a touch of old-world charm, you’re in...
Dive into the beautiful world of insects with free, printable art prints from Jean-Henri Fabre’s insect masterpiece. Perfect for nature lovers and art enthusiasts alike! I'm passionate about vintage insect art and have already showcased the exquisite Renaissance pieces by Joris Hoefnagel and the stunning Art Nouveau insects by E.A. Seguy. I'm delighted to add...
Dive deep into the captivating world of vintage spider art! Perfect for Halloween, these public-domain illustrations are free to print and display. As October's chill settles in and Halloween's shadow looms near, what better way to accentuate the spooky ambience than with vintage spider illustrations? Just as I've previously delved into the world of vintage...
Discover the captivating world of insects through the ages with free vintage entomology prints, a treasure trove for collectors and nature lovers. For those new to the term, entomology is the scientific study of insects. It's a branch that has deep historical roots, with its early beginnings in ancient times. The Renaissance period sparked curiosity...
Inside: Explore the beauty of the 18th century through the eyes of Jan Brandes with our curated selection of 46 nature illustrations. Available in the public domain, these sketches capture the essence of the natural world with intricate detail, making them ideal for home decor, educational projects, or personal collections. While browsing the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam's...
Inside: Step into the enchanting world of E.A. Seguy's art nouveau pochoir insect prints, where nature's delicate creatures come alive in vibrant hues and intricate details. E. A. Seguy was a French artist and designer who gained widespread recognition for his striking insect pochoir prints. Seguy was born in Limoges, France, in 1877 and began...
Inside: A tutorial to make a DIY butterfly wall decoration in the style of vintage specimen art. One of my favourite things is to wander around flea and antique markets hunting for beautiful vintage maps and natural history prints—many of which I feature on this site. Every so often in my hunt, I come across...
Discover the delicate details and captivating artistry of Maria Sibylla Merian's paintings & prints, showcasing the beauty of flora and fauna. All are in the Public Domain and free to print. A collection of carefully curated Maria Sibylla Merian prints from her seminal book “Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium”, the "Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname". The...
This is a collection of pochoir prints of antique butterflies from Emile-Allain Séguy's book "Papillons", published in 1925. Emile-Allain Séguy (1877- 1951) was a French decorative artist. He was well known for his Art Nouveau and Art Deco-style illustrations of the natural world, mainly insects. Like many other Art Nouveau designers of his time, such...
Vintage Dragonfly Illustrations: Elevate your art projects and home décor with this curated collection of vintage drawings of dragonflies, which capture their whimsical charm. Some of these illustrations may be of closely related damselflies; where the insect has not been identified, I have assumed they were dragonflies because they look like dragonflies. However, they could...
This collection of stunning and famous antique insect art is by Joris Hoefnagel, and it's free to download and print. Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1601) was a famous 16th-century Flemish artist and merchant. He was mainly well known for his illustrations of natural history subjects, topographical views, drawings and mythological works. He was self-taught as an artist. Hoefnagel used...
Antique Free Insect Illustrations An interest in the natural world is something I grew up with. My father is an ornithologist and my uncle an entomologist. An ornithologist is someone who studies birds. An entomologist studies insects. For this post, I have curated a wonderful collection of free insect prints from vintage natural history collection....
Discover a curated selection of vintage butterfly prints, images, and illustrations, all free to download. They're perfect for art projects, home décor, and a variety of creative crafts. Butterflies are insects from the order Lepidoptera. Hence, butterfly collectors are called lepidopterists. Butterflies are found in countries all over the world except for the coldest ones. ...