The Yellow Swallowtail from The Butterflies and Moths of America Part 2
Medium
Color lithograph
Dimensions
sheet: 4 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (10.5 x 6.4 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ephemera
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Jefferson R. Burdick Collection, Gift of Jefferson R. Burdick, 1948
Accession Number
48.61(4)
Tags
About this artwork
Louis Prang & Company's "The Yellow Swallowtail" (1860) from "The Butterflies and Moths of America Part 2" exemplifies early American chromolithography at a pivotal moment in the medium's development. This small color lithograph (4 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches) demonstrates chromolithography's potential for accurate natural history illustration, reproducing subtle color gradations and delicate patterns essential for species identification. Prang established his Boston firm in 1860, the same year as this p...
Art Historical Context
**The Yellow Swallowtail**, a delicate color lithograph from Louis Prang & Co.'s *The Butterflies and Moths of America Part 2*1860), captures the vibrant beauty of this American butterfly in a tiny format—just 4 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches. Produced at the dawn of Prang's Boston firm, this print showcases early American chromolithography's breakthrough in rendering nature's subtle hues and intricate wing patterns with scientific precision, making it ideal for species identification. German immigrant Louis Prang (1824–1909) revolutionized printing by importing European techniques, layering colors from ...
About the Artist
Louis Prang & Co. · 1800–1950
Louis Prang & Co. was the Boston printing firm that introduced the Christmas card to the American public and elevated chromolithography to the level of a serious art form. Its founder, Louis Prang (1824–1909), was born in Breslau, Prussia (now Wrocław, Poland), where he trained as a cloth printer and dyer. After participating in revolutionary activity against the Prussian government, he fled first...