Sarah Finn
@romanceofbooks.bsky.social
Special Collections Librarian / Print Historian
Fascinated by the history of scientific illustration. Documenting natural history books I encounter in my research 📚🦋
Fascinated by the history of scientific illustration. Documenting natural history books I encounter in my research 📚🦋
Animal engraving from “The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature," by Abraham Rees, London, 1820. Also known as "Rees's Cyclopædia."
#scientificillustration #scientificart #engraving #vintageencyclopedia #naturalhistory #animalart
#scientificillustration #scientificart #engraving #vintageencyclopedia #naturalhistory #animalart
December 15, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Animal engraving from “The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature," by Abraham Rees, London, 1820. Also known as "Rees's Cyclopædia."
#scientificillustration #scientificart #engraving #vintageencyclopedia #naturalhistory #animalart
#scientificillustration #scientificart #engraving #vintageencyclopedia #naturalhistory #animalart
Meteors from ‘Bilder Atlas der Sternenwelt,’ edited by Edmund Weiss, professor of astronomy at the University of Vienna, and published in Esslingen, Germany, by J. F. Schreiber in 1888.
UW-Milwaukee Special Collections.
#sciart #chromolithograph
UW-Milwaukee Special Collections.
#sciart #chromolithograph
December 12, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Meteors from ‘Bilder Atlas der Sternenwelt,’ edited by Edmund Weiss, professor of astronomy at the University of Vienna, and published in Esslingen, Germany, by J. F. Schreiber in 1888.
UW-Milwaukee Special Collections.
#sciart #chromolithograph
UW-Milwaukee Special Collections.
#sciart #chromolithograph
Insects from 'Physica sacra' or 'Kupfer-Bibel, in welcher die Physica sacra, oder, geheiligte Natur-wissenschafft derer in Heil' by Swiss naturalist and geologist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733). Published in Augsburg, 1731-1735.
Northwestern University Special Collections.
#rarebooks
Northwestern University Special Collections.
#rarebooks
December 11, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Insects from 'Physica sacra' or 'Kupfer-Bibel, in welcher die Physica sacra, oder, geheiligte Natur-wissenschafft derer in Heil' by Swiss naturalist and geologist Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733). Published in Augsburg, 1731-1735.
Northwestern University Special Collections.
#rarebooks
Northwestern University Special Collections.
#rarebooks
Le Rollier à longs brins (Coracias caudatus) by Jacques Barraband for ‘Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, suivie de celle des toucans et des barbus’ by François Levaillant. Paris: Chez Denné le jeune, 1806.
University of Chicago Special Collections.
#rarebooks #birdart
University of Chicago Special Collections.
#rarebooks #birdart
December 10, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Le Rollier à longs brins (Coracias caudatus) by Jacques Barraband for ‘Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de paradis et des rolliers, suivie de celle des toucans et des barbus’ by François Levaillant. Paris: Chez Denné le jeune, 1806.
University of Chicago Special Collections.
#rarebooks #birdart
University of Chicago Special Collections.
#rarebooks #birdart
I'm so excited that #RBMS26 is coming to Milwaukee, Wisconsin! My city has so many wonderful things to offer. I'm thrilled to be on the RBMS Conference Local Arrangements 2026 Committee helping to plan tours and other highlights.
The deadline to submit proposals is this Friday December 12, 2025!
The deadline to submit proposals is this Friday December 12, 2025!
The deadline for submitting workshop, panel, or poster proposals for #RBMS26 is December 12, 2025. 📜📚
Need another panelist? There is a spreadsheet for organizing panels here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Need another panelist? There is a spreadsheet for organizing panels here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
December 9, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I'm so excited that #RBMS26 is coming to Milwaukee, Wisconsin! My city has so many wonderful things to offer. I'm thrilled to be on the RBMS Conference Local Arrangements 2026 Committee helping to plan tours and other highlights.
The deadline to submit proposals is this Friday December 12, 2025!
The deadline to submit proposals is this Friday December 12, 2025!
Anatomy of mouse 🐁 from 1916 featuring fold out details! ‘La souris (anatomie et dissection): planches coloriées à feuillets découpés et superposés’ by Jules Philippe Louis Anglas.
UW-Madison’s Special Collections.
#foldoutanatomy #animalanatomy #naturalhistory #scientificart #rarebooks #sciart
UW-Madison’s Special Collections.
#foldoutanatomy #animalanatomy #naturalhistory #scientificart #rarebooks #sciart
December 9, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Anatomy of mouse 🐁 from 1916 featuring fold out details! ‘La souris (anatomie et dissection): planches coloriées à feuillets découpés et superposés’ by Jules Philippe Louis Anglas.
UW-Madison’s Special Collections.
#foldoutanatomy #animalanatomy #naturalhistory #scientificart #rarebooks #sciart
UW-Madison’s Special Collections.
#foldoutanatomy #animalanatomy #naturalhistory #scientificart #rarebooks #sciart
Death's head hawkmoth from “The Genera of British Moths. Popularly Described and Arranged According to the System now Adopted in the British Museum” by Henry Noel Humphreys, London, undated, c1860.
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
December 8, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Death's head hawkmoth from “The Genera of British Moths. Popularly Described and Arranged According to the System now Adopted in the British Museum” by Henry Noel Humphreys, London, undated, c1860.
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
Nautilus shells from ‘Deliciae naturae selectae’ by Georg Wolfgang Knorr. Published in Nuremberg, 1766-67.
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart #rarebooks #bookhistory
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart #rarebooks #bookhistory
December 7, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Nautilus shells from ‘Deliciae naturae selectae’ by Georg Wolfgang Knorr. Published in Nuremberg, 1766-67.
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart #rarebooks #bookhistory
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#naturalhistory #sciart #animalart #rarebooks #bookhistory
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from ‘Illustrations of the British Salmonidae with Descriptions’ by Sir William Jardine. Edinburgh, 1839-1841. Drawings by Jardine, engraved by William Home Lizars, and colored by Gabriel Bayfield.
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#rarebooks #sciart #naturalhistory
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#rarebooks #sciart #naturalhistory
December 5, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from ‘Illustrations of the British Salmonidae with Descriptions’ by Sir William Jardine. Edinburgh, 1839-1841. Drawings by Jardine, engraved by William Home Lizars, and colored by Gabriel Bayfield.
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#rarebooks #sciart #naturalhistory
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#rarebooks #sciart #naturalhistory
‘The Circulating Library’ personification illustration by George Spratt. Printed by Printed by G. E. Madeley and published by C. Tilt, Fleet Street, London ca. 1830.
#printhistory #bookhistory #CirculatingLibrary #historyofprint #botanicalart #romanceofbooks
#printhistory #bookhistory #CirculatingLibrary #historyofprint #botanicalart #romanceofbooks
December 5, 2025 at 3:35 AM
‘The Circulating Library’ personification illustration by George Spratt. Printed by Printed by G. E. Madeley and published by C. Tilt, Fleet Street, London ca. 1830.
#printhistory #bookhistory #CirculatingLibrary #historyofprint #botanicalart #romanceofbooks
#printhistory #bookhistory #CirculatingLibrary #historyofprint #botanicalart #romanceofbooks
Beetles from ‘Collection de fleurs, d’oiseaux d’insectes.’ Drawn and colored, some from nature, others from the colored plates of Buffon, Roezel, and Catesby by various students of the Royal School of Sorèze. Manuscript, 1783-1789.
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #beetleart
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #beetleart
November 28, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Beetles from ‘Collection de fleurs, d’oiseaux d’insectes.’ Drawn and colored, some from nature, others from the colored plates of Buffon, Roezel, and Catesby by various students of the Royal School of Sorèze. Manuscript, 1783-1789.
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #beetleart
Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #sciart #beetleart
Steel engraving after Audubon’s ‘Wild Turkey, Female and Young’ for ‘The
Naturalist’s Library’ published by William Home Lizars, Edinburgh, 1834.
Copperplate engraving from Audubon’s ‘The Birds of America,’ published 1827-1838. Engraved, printed, and colored by Robert Havell & Son.
#rarebooks
Naturalist’s Library’ published by William Home Lizars, Edinburgh, 1834.
Copperplate engraving from Audubon’s ‘The Birds of America,’ published 1827-1838. Engraved, printed, and colored by Robert Havell & Son.
#rarebooks
November 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Steel engraving after Audubon’s ‘Wild Turkey, Female and Young’ for ‘The
Naturalist’s Library’ published by William Home Lizars, Edinburgh, 1834.
Copperplate engraving from Audubon’s ‘The Birds of America,’ published 1827-1838. Engraved, printed, and colored by Robert Havell & Son.
#rarebooks
Naturalist’s Library’ published by William Home Lizars, Edinburgh, 1834.
Copperplate engraving from Audubon’s ‘The Birds of America,’ published 1827-1838. Engraved, printed, and colored by Robert Havell & Son.
#rarebooks
Close up of Rachel Ruysch's 'Still Life with Fruit,' 1711.
I saw this at the 'Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer' exhibtion at the MFA Boston.
#hernaturalhistory #naturalhistory #insectart #animalart
I saw this at the 'Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer' exhibtion at the MFA Boston.
#hernaturalhistory #naturalhistory #insectart #animalart
November 25, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Close up of Rachel Ruysch's 'Still Life with Fruit,' 1711.
I saw this at the 'Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer' exhibtion at the MFA Boston.
#hernaturalhistory #naturalhistory #insectart #animalart
I saw this at the 'Rachel Ruysch: Artist, Naturalist, and Pioneer' exhibtion at the MFA Boston.
#hernaturalhistory #naturalhistory #insectart #animalart
It is National Game and Puzzle Week! ‘Floral Loto: A New Round Game’ was produced in London by Jaques & Son, [ca. 1872].
I saw this at University of Wisconsin-Madison Special Collections.
#specialcollections #historyofgames #19thcentury
I saw this at University of Wisconsin-Madison Special Collections.
#specialcollections #historyofgames #19thcentury
November 24, 2025 at 5:46 PM
It is National Game and Puzzle Week! ‘Floral Loto: A New Round Game’ was produced in London by Jaques & Son, [ca. 1872].
I saw this at University of Wisconsin-Madison Special Collections.
#specialcollections #historyofgames #19thcentury
I saw this at University of Wisconsin-Madison Special Collections.
#specialcollections #historyofgames #19thcentury
Beautiful marbled endpapers and speckled edges of the book ‘Traité de la construction des chemins’ by the French engineer Henri Gautier. Published in Paris by Chez Duchesne, 1755.
Milwaukee Puiblic Library Rare Books.
#marbledpaper #papermarbling #bookhistory
Milwaukee Puiblic Library Rare Books.
#marbledpaper #papermarbling #bookhistory
November 24, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Beautiful marbled endpapers and speckled edges of the book ‘Traité de la construction des chemins’ by the French engineer Henri Gautier. Published in Paris by Chez Duchesne, 1755.
Milwaukee Puiblic Library Rare Books.
#marbledpaper #papermarbling #bookhistory
Milwaukee Puiblic Library Rare Books.
#marbledpaper #papermarbling #bookhistory
Mantis from 'An Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of India, and the Islands in the Indian Seas' by Edward Donovan. London: Printed for the author by T. Bensley, 1800.
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #insectart #HoughtonLibrary #insects #rarebooks #sciart
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #insectart #HoughtonLibrary #insects #rarebooks #sciart
November 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Mantis from 'An Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of India, and the Islands in the Indian Seas' by Edward Donovan. London: Printed for the author by T. Bensley, 1800.
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #insectart #HoughtonLibrary #insects #rarebooks #sciart
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
#naturalhistory #insectart #HoughtonLibrary #insects #rarebooks #sciart
Gems and minerals from “Erdgeschichte” by Melchior Neumayr. Leipzig; Bibliographisches Institut 1897.
#naturalhistory #sciart #chromolithography
#minerals #mineralogy
#naturalhistory #sciart #chromolithography
#minerals #mineralogy
November 20, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Gems and minerals from “Erdgeschichte” by Melchior Neumayr. Leipzig; Bibliographisches Institut 1897.
#naturalhistory #sciart #chromolithography
#minerals #mineralogy
#naturalhistory #sciart #chromolithography
#minerals #mineralogy
Mollusks from 'Testacea utriusque Siciliae eorumque historia et anatome' by Giuseppe Saverio Poli. Parmae: Ex regio typographeio, 1791-1827.
I saw this at the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington DC.
#sciart #naturalhistory
I saw this at the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington DC.
#sciart #naturalhistory
November 17, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Mollusks from 'Testacea utriusque Siciliae eorumque historia et anatome' by Giuseppe Saverio Poli. Parmae: Ex regio typographeio, 1791-1827.
I saw this at the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington DC.
#sciart #naturalhistory
I saw this at the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington DC.
#sciart #naturalhistory
November from Robert Furber’s ‘Twelve Months of Fruits,’ London, 1732. Plate designed by Pieter Casteels & engraved by James Smith.
I saw this at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in August while taking the class ‘Cultural and Natural Ecologies’ taught by Amy Meyers and Therese O’Malley. 📚🌿
I saw this at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in August while taking the class ‘Cultural and Natural Ecologies’ taught by Amy Meyers and Therese O’Malley. 📚🌿
November 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM
November from Robert Furber’s ‘Twelve Months of Fruits,’ London, 1732. Plate designed by Pieter Casteels & engraved by James Smith.
I saw this at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in August while taking the class ‘Cultural and Natural Ecologies’ taught by Amy Meyers and Therese O’Malley. 📚🌿
I saw this at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in August while taking the class ‘Cultural and Natural Ecologies’ taught by Amy Meyers and Therese O’Malley. 📚🌿
African spurred tortoise from ‘Cimelia physica’ engraved and colored by John Frederick Miller with descriptions by George Shaw. Printed by T. Bensley for B. and J. White, London, 1796.
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#rarebooks #naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#rarebooks #naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
November 15, 2025 at 5:23 PM
African spurred tortoise from ‘Cimelia physica’ engraved and colored by John Frederick Miller with descriptions by George Shaw. Printed by T. Bensley for B. and J. White, London, 1796.
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#rarebooks #naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
Library of Congress Rare Books and Special Collections.
#rarebooks #naturalhistory #sciart #animalart
Phasianus colchicus, ring-necked pheasant, from ‘A Monograph of the Phasianidæ, or family of the Pheasants’ by Daniel Giraud Elliot. New York, 1870-72.
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections library @uwmadspec.
#naturalhistory #antiquarianbooks #rarebooks
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections library @uwmadspec.
#naturalhistory #antiquarianbooks #rarebooks
November 14, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Phasianus colchicus, ring-necked pheasant, from ‘A Monograph of the Phasianidæ, or family of the Pheasants’ by Daniel Giraud Elliot. New York, 1870-72.
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections library @uwmadspec.
#naturalhistory #antiquarianbooks #rarebooks
I saw this at UW-Madison Special Collections library @uwmadspec.
#naturalhistory #antiquarianbooks #rarebooks
I spotted a book I have in my personal collection in Guillermo del Toro new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Elizabeth shows Victor a book she bought and it is “Episodes of Insect Life” by Acheta Domestica, M. E. S. a pseudonym for Louise M. Budgen, London, 1851.
#hernaturalhistory
#hernaturalhistory
November 12, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I spotted a book I have in my personal collection in Guillermo del Toro new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Elizabeth shows Victor a book she bought and it is “Episodes of Insect Life” by Acheta Domestica, M. E. S. a pseudonym for Louise M. Budgen, London, 1851.
#hernaturalhistory
#hernaturalhistory
One of my favorite things I saw while I was in Boston was the Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750) exhibition at the MFA. As a flower, insect, and book enthusiast it was a dreamy experience.
#RachelRuysch #hernaturalhistory
#RachelRuysch #hernaturalhistory
November 12, 2025 at 12:56 AM
One of my favorite things I saw while I was in Boston was the Rachel Ruysch (1664–1750) exhibition at the MFA. As a flower, insect, and book enthusiast it was a dreamy experience.
#RachelRuysch #hernaturalhistory
#RachelRuysch #hernaturalhistory
Hand painted title page of ‘Collection de fleurs, d'oiseaux d'insectes.’ Drawn and colored, some from nature, others from the colored plates of Buffon, Roezel, and Catesby by various students of the Royal School of Sorèze. Manuscript, 1783-1789.
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
November 11, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Hand painted title page of ‘Collection de fleurs, d'oiseaux d'insectes.’ Drawn and colored, some from nature, others from the colored plates of Buffon, Roezel, and Catesby by various students of the Royal School of Sorèze. Manuscript, 1783-1789.
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
I saw this at Harvard’s Houghton Library.
Passiflora caerulea from ‘Ten Lithographic Coloured Flowers with Botanical Descriptions’ drawn and coloured by a lady. Printed from the stone by R. H. Nimmo. Published in Edinburgh by David Brown, 1826.
UW-Madison Special Collections.
#hernaturalhistory #botanicalart #passionflower
UW-Madison Special Collections.
#hernaturalhistory #botanicalart #passionflower
November 10, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Passiflora caerulea from ‘Ten Lithographic Coloured Flowers with Botanical Descriptions’ drawn and coloured by a lady. Printed from the stone by R. H. Nimmo. Published in Edinburgh by David Brown, 1826.
UW-Madison Special Collections.
#hernaturalhistory #botanicalart #passionflower
UW-Madison Special Collections.
#hernaturalhistory #botanicalart #passionflower