I love scientific illustrations, especially those exploring the intricate workings of flora and fauna. The detail, and in many cases color, surpass even photographs when it comes to aiding in identification and studying the subject. Truly the crossroads of art and science.
Over at Wikimedia Commons there are thousands of public domain images available to use for just about anything. I love the antique botanical illustrations. Sometimes, a precise, color drawing can say much more than a photograph.
After 100 years, the copyright runs out on most of these scientific illustrations so they end up as public domain. I love the idea of these 100 year old drawings still educating into the 21st century as scanned digital images. They are as helpful, accurate, and useful today, as they were 100 years ago.
Gallery of Antique Weed Illustrations
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