Lemon Journal — Köhler 1887 & d’Orbigny 1841 Citrus Botanical

The lemon arrived in Europe from Asia sometime in the first millennium, carried along the trade routes that connected the Mediterranean world to the civilisations of the East. By the nineteenth century, it had been cultivated in the gardens of southern Europe for so long that it seemed native — as much a part of the Mediterranean landscape as the olive or the vine. It had also attracted the attention of the botanists and illustrators who were systematically documenting the plant kingdom with a thoroughness and a visual ambition that had no precedent in the history of science.

The front cover reproduces Citrus medica (citron) from Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflanzen (Gera, 1887) — illustrated by W. Müller, C.F. Schmidt, and K. Gunther for the German pharmacist Franz Eugen Köhler, in the tradition of German medicinal botany that stretches back to the great herbals of the Renaissance. The back cover reproduces Citrus Limonium (lemon) from Charles Henry Dessalines d’Orbigny’s Dictionnaire Universel d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris, 1841–1849) — produced at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, in the tradition of French natural history illustration that combined scientific rigour with compositional elegance. Two national traditions, two centuries of botanical scholarship, united by the golden fruit of the Mediterranean.

Product Details

• Format: Hardcover journal
• Pages: 150 lined pages (75 sheets) with perforations for easy removal
• Binding: Casewrap sewn binding — flexible and lay-flat
• Dimensions: 5.75 × 8 inches
• Weight: 100 g
• Cover: Matte laminated full-wrap print

Perfect For

• Botanical illustration collectors and natural history enthusiasts
• Gardeners and citrus growers keeping field and garden journals
• Mediterranean food lovers and admirers of European natural history
• Home cooks and recipe collectors who appreciate beautiful stationery
• Collectors of 19th-century German and French botanical art
• Thoughtful gift for anyone who finds beauty in the history of science and illustration

To learn more about Köhler, d’Orbigny, and the two great traditions of 19th-century citrus illustration, read The Golden Fruit on New Old Time.