Jardine’s Ichthyology: Gorgeous Antique Fish Prints to Download

Uncover antique fish artwork from Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library with these free, downloadable ichthyology plates.

If you’ve enjoyed exploring the animal and insect illustrations I shared from Jardine’s Leaves from the Book of Nature in my ‘Animal Plates’ post and’ Entomology Plates’ post, I think you’ll like this next instalment.

Here I’m turning my attention to Division 3: Ichthyology, which features stunning illustrations of fish. These plates come from The Naturalist’s Library, an ambitious 40-volume series edited by Sir William Jardine in the 1800s.

Jardine was a Scottish naturalist who made it his mission to bring the wonders of the natural world to a broader audience. His books combined beautifully detailed illustrations with accessible, engaging writing, making natural history more popular and understandable than ever before.

The ichthyology plates capture the incredible diversity of fish known to scientists at the time, from strange deep-sea creatures to colourful freshwater species. I love how these illustrations strike a balance between scientific accuracy and artistic flair, offering a glimpse into both nature and the history of early zoological study.

About the Fish Illustrations & How to Download

The ichthyology plates in this collection encompass a fascinating range of fish, featuring vivid illustrations of perch, the unique fish of Guiana, various British freshwater species, and a selection of miscellaneous fish from around the world.

To download any of the fish illustrations, click the title above the poster or chart you’d like. A high-resolution image will open in a new tab, where you can right-click to save it to your computer or print it directly. All images are in the public domain, so you’re free to use them for art projects, educational resources, or unique decor.

Leaf 1 to Leaf 3 Perches

The perch illustrations in this collection are beautifully detailed and highlight several members of the perch family, including the well-known European perch (Perca fluviatilis). These freshwater fish were a favourite among 19th-century naturalists for their distinctive markings and spiny fins. The prints capture their elegant shapes and subtle colouration with both scientific precision and artistic charm, making them a standout feature of Jardine’s ichthyology series.

Leaf 1 Perches

1. Lates of the Nile.
2. Basse.
3. Granulated Perch.
4. Black Bass of the Huron.
5. Armed Enoplossus.
6. Two-banded Diploprion.,
7. Eleven-spined Centropome.
8. Ruby-coloured Etelis.
9. Common Pike-Perch.
10. Spined Niphon.

Leaf 2: Perches 2

1. Leopard-spotted Plectropoma.
2. Large-eyed Pomatome.
3. Arabian Cheilodipterus,
4. Beautiful Plectropoma,
5. Long-tailed Serranus.
6. Lettered Serranus.
7. Mediterranean Apogon.
8. Large-finned Serranus.
9. Commerson’s Ambassis.
10. Spined Serranus.
11. Oriental Grammestes.

Print 3: Perches 3

1. Brazilian Rypticus
2. American Black Bass.
3. Salmon-formed Growler.
4. Cape Pentaceros.
5. One-spotted Mesoprion.
6. Banded Diacope.
7. Many-spined Polyprion.
8. Ruffe.
9. olden-tailed Mesopríon.

Leaf 4 to 9 Fishes of Guiana

The plates featuring the Fishes of Guiana are some of the most vibrant and exotic in Jardine’s ichthyology series. These illustrations showcase tropical freshwater species native to the rivers and streams of what is now Guyana and surrounding regions. With their unusual shapes, striking patterns, and vivid colouring, these fish would have seemed especially curious and fascinating to 19th-century European audiences.

Leaf 4: Fishes of Guiana

1. Acanthus histrix
2. Hipostoma squalinum.
3. Doras castaneo-ventris,
4. Arius oncinus.
5. Pimelodus arekaima,
6. Pimelodus insignis.
7. Pimelodus notatus.
8. Platístoma tigrinum.

Fishes of Guiana 2

1. Serrasalmo punctatus.
2. Chalceus macrolepidotus.
3. Sudis gigas. ‘
4. Serrasalmo piranha.
5. Serrasalmo niger.
6. Chalceus labrosus
7. Chalceus niger-teeníatus.
8. Anodus notatus,
9. Osteoglossum arowana,
10. Serrasalmo emarginatus.
11. Hypothalmus davalia.

Leaf 6: Fishes of Guiana 3

1. Trygon strogylopterus,
2. Trygon garrapa.
3. Elipesurus spinicauda,
4. Cychla Orinocensis,
5. Paeamah of Guiana.
6. & 7. Unarmed Er!”mophilus and Pimelodus of the Volcanos.
7. Cvchla manoculus.
8. Blunt-toothed Curimata.
9. Guavina of Tacarig

Leaf 7: Fishes of Guiana 4

1. Cyehla nigro-maculata
2. Cyehla trifasciata,
3. Cychla rutilans.
4. Cychla flavo-maoulata,
5. Cychla rubro-ocellata.
6. Corvina grunniens.
7. Cychla fasciata.
8. Cychla argus.
9. Cvchla labrina.
10. Belone gitianensis.

Print 8: Fishes of Guiana 5

1. Centrarchus cyanopterus.
2. Centrarchus cychla.
3. Pomotis fasciatus.
4. Dark-marked Centrarchus.
5. Centrarchus vittatus.
6. Centrarchus rostratus.
7. Many-spined Trygon.
8. Centrarchus niger.
9. Gymnotus electricus,
10. Gymnotus fasciatus.

Leaf 9: Fishes of Guiana 6

1. Erythrinus macrodon.
2. Prochilodus insignis.
3. Myletes pacu.
4. Prochilodus rubro-tseniatus.
5. Hydrocyon microlepis.
6. Tetragonopterus Schomburgkii.
7. Hydrocyon armatus.
8. Schizodon fasciatus.
9. Miletes pacu,
10. Xiphostoma oceHatum.
11. Prochilodus binotatus.

Leaf 10 -15 British Fishes

The British fish plates in Jardine’s Naturalist’s Library focus on species found in the lakes, rivers, and coastal waters of the British Isles. These illustrations include familiar fish such as trout, pike, and eels, depicted with careful attention to their natural colouring and form. The prints reflect the Victorian enthusiasm for cataloguing native wildlife and would have appealed to both amateur naturalists and anglers alike.

Leaf 10: British Fishes 1

1. Common Perch
2. Common Bass.
3. Ruff
4. Greater Weaver.
5. Red Surmullet
6. Long-finned
   Captain.
7. Mailed Gurnard;
8. Armed Bull-head or Pogge
9. Norway Haddock.
10. Fifteen-spined Stickleback (nest and eggs).
11. Maigre
12. Bearded Umbrina.
13. Gilt-head
14. Braize.

Leaf 11: British Fish 2

1. Hake
2. Ling
3. Vendace
4. Argentine.
5. Torsk
6. Great Forked-beard.
7. Smelt
8. Grayling
9. Sea Loche
10. Five-bearded Rockling
11. Herring
12. Sprat.
13. Common Cod
14. Haddock
15. Whiting
16. Coal-Fish
17. Pilchard
18. Twait Shad.
19. Hollibut
20. Turbot.
21. Tadpole-Fish
22. Saltwater Flounder.
23. Sole
24. Variegated Sole

Print 12: British Fish 3

1. Silvery Hair-tail
2. Scabbard-Fish.
3. Butterfly-Fish
4. Gattoruginous Blenny.
5. Plain Bonito
6. Sword-Fish.
7. Sea Bream
8. Axillary Bream.
9. Four-toothed Sparus.
10. Black-Fish
11. Horse Mackerel.
12. Fishing Frog.
13. Thick-lipped Grey Mullet
14. Sand Smelt.
15. Mackerel
16. Ray’s Bream.
17. Hawkins’ Gymnetrus
18. RedBand-Fish.
19. Wolf-Fish.
20. Gemmous Dragonet.
21. Dory

Leaf 13: British Fish 4

1. Hammer-headed Shark
2. Common Tope
3. Starry Ray
4. Sting Ray.
5. Fox Shark
6. Piked Dog-fish.
7. Angel-Fish.
8. Old British Torpedo
9. Smooth Hound
10. Rorbeagle.
11. Basking Shark.
12. Spinous Shark.
13. Lamprey
14. Pride.
15. Eagle Ray.
16. Eagle Ray.
17. Glutinous Hag
18. Lancelet

Leaf 14: British Fish 5

1. Carp-Bream
2. Roach.
3. Jago’s Goldsinny
4. TrumpetFish.
5. Flying-Fish.
6. Pike.
7. Common Trout
8. Northern Char.
9. Par in various stages.
10. Par in various stages
11. Par in various stages
12. Par in various stages
13. Salmo ferox
14. Phinock.
15. Salmon
16. Grilse.
17. Loach
18. Groundling.
19. Blue-striped Wrasse.
20. Gar-Fish
21. Saury Pike
22. Gudgeon
23. Tench.
24. Common Carp
25. BarbeL

Print 15: British Fishes 6

1. Eguorial Pipe-Fish
2. Short-nosed Hippocampus.
3. Northern Chimaera
4. Cornish Sucker
5. Lump Sucker.
6. Murrena.
7. Sharp-nosed Eel
8. Conger Eel.
9. Pennant’s Globe-Fish.
10. Unctuous Sucker
11. Common Remora.
12. Beardless Ophidium,
13. European File-Fish.
14. Sand Eel
15. Great Piper-Fish.
16. Black-mouthed Dog-Fish.

Leaf 16 to 18 Miscellaneous Fish

Leaf 16: Miscellaneous Fish 1

1. Banded Ophisurus.
2. Oriental Bactylopterus.
3. Spinola’s Trachipterus.
4. Argus Pteraelis.
5. Halgan’s Spine-tailed Ray.
6. Common Flying-Fish.
7. Short Sun-Fish.
8. Indian Pilot-Fish.
9. New Zealand Gurnard.
10. Horned Zanclus or Cheetodon

Print 17: Miscellaneous Fish 2

1. Horned Ostracion.
2. Mailed Peristedion.
3. Yellow-bellied Acanthurus.
4. Spotted Ostracism.
5. Radiated Weaver.
6. Armed Monocentris.
7. Porcupine Diodon.
8. Edible Lethrynus,
9. Port Praslin Balistes.
10. Back’s Grayling.
11. Blainville’s Piked Dog Fish

Leaf 18: Miscellaneous Fish 3

1. Dolphin of the Ancients.
2. Atlantic Dolphin.
3. White Shark.
4. Serrated Saw-Fish.
5. Indian Histiophorus.
6. Painted Labrus.
7. Blue Shark.
8. Four-horned’ Aspidophorus,
9. Long-beaked Chelmon.
10. Galvanis Torpedo.
11. Common Sword-Fish.

Conclusion & Related Print Collections

I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the fishy pages of Jardine’s Leaves from the Book of Nature. There’s something so timeless and calming about these old ichthyology prints — whether it’s the fine detail, the gentle colours, or just the fascination of seeing how people documented the natural world long before photography.

If you’re into vintage fish art, there are a few other posts on the site you might want to check out:

• The Fantastical Fish Paintings of Louis Renard: These are bright, bold, and utterly bizarre in the best way. Renard’s fish are part natural history, part pure imagination — and they make amazing statement art.
• 21 Japanese Woodblock Fish Prints: If you love simple lines and beautiful colour, you’ll adore these serene, stylised woodblock prints. They’re elegant, calming, and make stunning printable decor.
• Ernst Haeckel’s Stunning Jellyfish Illustrations: OK, not fish exactly, but these jellyfish are so beautifully drawn they deserve a mention. Haeckel’s work is intricate and otherworldly — perfect for anyone into ocean-themed design.
• Adolphe Millot’s Sea Life Posters: Packed with colour and detail, these vintage posters are like encyclopedias on a page. Millot’s sea creatures are wonderfully varied, and the layouts are perfect for framing.
• Joris Hoefnagel’s Renaissance Fish Prints: Hidden among his Four Elements collection, you’ll find some beautifully detailed Renaissance fish illustrations. They’re smaller in scale but full of charm and historical curiosity — definitely worth a look if you’re exploring the artistic side of early natural history.

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