Reichenbachia Orchid Print No. 74
Buy this print on Etsy →A jewel of Victorian botanical art, this orchid print comes from 'Reichenbachia: Orchids Illustrated and Described,' the most lavish orchid book ever produced, published in the late 1880s and 1890s by the celebrated 'Orchid King,' Frederick Sander. Against a soft, aged ground, an exotic orchid unfurls in exquisite, life-size detail, its petals and markings rendered in luminous colour with a delicacy that makes the flower seem almost to breathe. It is a precise scientific record and a genuinely gorgeous work of art in one.
The story behind the book is as extravagant as its blooms. Frederick Sander ran a vast orchid empire from St Albans in England, sending plant hunters across the tropics in search of rare specimens during the height of 'orchidelirium,' the Victorian obsession with these coveted flowers. To showcase his collection he commissioned 'Reichenbachia' - named for the great orchidologist H. G. Reichenbach - as a deliberately enormous, sumptuous folio, its plates drawn largely by the gifted botanical artist Henry Moon and printed to the very highest standard of the day. Original volumes are now rare and treasured.
What makes these plates so captivating is their balance of science and beauty: accurate enough to identify the species, yet composed with such artistry that the orchid floats on the page in all its sculptural elegance. Few flowers carry as much grace and mystique.
As wall art it is effortlessly refined. The soft colours and graceful form make it a natural for a bedroom, bathroom, living room or plant-filled space, and it suits elegant cottagecore, tropical, botanical and classic interiors alike. It is a lovely gift for orchid growers, gardeners, plant lovers and anyone drawn to vintage botanical art, and it looks especially beautiful grouped with other orchid plates in a gallery wall.
Because the original was published in the nineteenth century, it is firmly in the public domain, which is why we can reproduce it at full museum quality.
Each print is produced on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper, faithfully capturing the delicate colour, fine detail and soft antique paper of the original plate - ready to frame and enjoy for years to come.
