Drawn from life : science and art in the portrayal of the New World / Victoria Dickenson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

An illustrated archeology of the imagination that reveals how artists and writers from the late 16th to the early 19th century, most of whom had never seen North America, portrayed the natural history and landscape of North America to European readers.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Dickenson's study of natural history illustration has clearly grown out of a love for the printed picture. Her study of these old books entails deep analyses of the pictures themselves, not just the accompanying text. The chronology ranges from the European "discovery" of the New World into the 19th century. Focusing on the northern half of North America, especially Canada, she explores not only the customary images of flora and fauna but landscapes as well. She endeavors to extract the meaning and purpose of the images in their original context, rather than to impose present knowledge onto the past. However, she does apply present-day conceptual methodology regarding matters of stylistic convention and naturalistic representation, the relationship between pictures and text, and various contextual issues. She is especially sensitive to the role of media, noting the different expressive qualities of drawings, watercolors, and various printmaking techniques. Importantly, she does so in a clear and concise writing style. This study of the European vision of the New World makes a significant contribution to the burgeoning area of scientific illustration as a branch of the conceptual and material history of science. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. D. Topper University of Winnipeg