1,300 Restored 19th Century Wildlife Illustrations Now Available Online
1,300 Beautiful Wildlife Illustrations from the 19th Century Now Restored
I am thrilled to share that over 1,300 stunning wildlife illustrations from the Victorian era's Naturalist's Library have been meticulously restored and digitized by Nicholas Rougeux. Originally published in affordable volumes to bring nature to the masses, these vibrant color plates are now freely accessible online. Using a blend of traditional restoration and modern AI tools, this project breathes new life into historical art, inspiring a new generation of naturalists to explore the natural world.
In the Victorian era, ideally, you'd have grown up in a household, or at least had access to an institution, with the complete set of The Naturalist's Library.
- ilt
Direct link to the library instead of the blog: https://www.c82.net/naturalists-library/
- HelloUsername
Source posted some days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48850978 and blog https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48850987
- chis
I admire the effort but it's hard to get excited about looking at some ancient illustrations which have been partly filled in by AI. I want to see the work of an actual specific artist, and be briefly transported to the times they lived in.
I have this old book of the Audobon bird illustrations and those are truly incredible. Back in the day there was a public audience for high quality, expensive art prints in books and they spared no expense.
- NetMageSCW
I don’t need another large book to put on my bookshelf that I don’t have time to read, especially one at this price, but I want one.
OTOH, I have had a couple of book/apps on the iPad that were very nice, The Elements (still available) and one with items from MOMA (unfortunately removed from the App Store). That would be a cheaper way to distribute a book like experience.
- irenaeus
My man (https://www.c82.net/images/naturalists-library/vol-4/plates/...) is having a bad day.