Baptisia nepalensis (1823)

Dated 1823, "Baptisia nepalensis" is an artwork by William Jackson Hooker. Context for 1823: The invention of lithography around 1796 and its spread in these decades made printed images cheaper and more varied. The first half of the nineteenth century moved from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, which placed emotion, nature, and the sublime at the centre of painting. Plants & Animals, a short history: Images of plants and animals are valued both for the care of their observation and for their decorative appeal. Images of plants and animals run from medieval herbals and bestiaries to the scientific illustration of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The catalogue places it in Plants & Animals. The format is portrait.

Buying "Baptisia nepalensis" means getting a digital file, not a physical print: Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI, delivered by email once payment is confirmed. A 300 DPI file is intended for printing at home or at a local print shop, where you can choose a matte, satin, or fine-art paper to suit the room. A portrait format suits narrow wall spaces, hallways, and the area beside a door or window. A simple frame with a mat often helps an image settle comfortably into a room. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size.

English, 1785–1865

If you like the visual language of William Jackson Hooker, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.