John Nugent Fitch (24 October 1840 – 11 January 1927) was a British botanical illustrator and lithographer,
[
] best known for his contribution of 528 plates to ''The Orchid Album'', a landmark work of eleven volumes published between 1872 and 1897. Fitch was the nephew of botanical artist
Walter Hood Fitch
Walter Hood Fitch (28 February 1817 – 1892) was a botanical illustrator, born in Glasgow, Scotland, who executed some 10,000 drawings for various publications.
His work in colour lithograph, including 2700 illustrations for ''Curtis's Bo ...
(1817–1892). Fitch also contributed to
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''.
Each of the issue ...
from 1878, joining a select group of illustrators such as
William Kilburn
William Kilburn (1745–1818) was an illustrator for William Curtis' Flora Londinensis, as well as a leading designer and printer of calico. A few hundred originals of his water colour designs make up the ''Kilburn Album'', housed at the Victori ...
,
James Sowerby
James Sowerby (21 March 1757 – 25 October 1822) was an English naturalist, illustrator and mineralogist. Contributions to published works, such as ''A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland'' or ''English Botany'', include his detailed and app ...
,
Sydenham Edwards
Sydenham Teast Edwards (5 August 1768 – 8 February 1819) was a natural history illustrator. He illustrated plants, birds and importantly published an illustrated book on the breeds of dogs in Britain, ''Cynographia Britannica''.
Edwards was bo ...
,
William Jackson Hooker and Walter Hood Fitch. Fitch also produced plates for ''
Lepidoptera Indica'' by
Frederic Moore. He was also employed by
Trevor Lawrence to paint pictures of his orchids.
Fitch was elected a fellow of the
Linnean Society
The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
in 1877.
[
]
References
External links
*
Orchid Chromolithographs
Video on The Orchid Album Exhibit
held at the Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens in four natural habitats: McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, Skokie River Corridor, and Lakes and Shor ...
Scientific illustrators
Botanical illustrators
1840 births
1927 deaths
19th-century New Zealand painters
19th-century New Zealand male artists
20th-century New Zealand painters
20th-century New Zealand male artists
Fellows of the Linnean Society of London
{{Botanist-stub