Palaeontological Map of the British Islands by A. K. Johnston & E. Forbes, published by William Blackwood & Sons 1848

Description

“Palaeontological Map of the British Islands by A. K. Johnston F.R.G.S. From the Sketches & Notes of Professor Edward Forbes F.R.S. of King’s College , London.”

A spectacular engraved and hand-coloured palaeontological / geological map with numerous numbered explanations, detailed statistical information and beautiful illustrations of dinosaurs, fossils, and ammonite shells. Published by William Blackwood & Sons in 1854, Edinburgh & London.

Alexander Keith Johnston (1804 – 1871) was a Scottish geographer and cartographer. His initial interest to geography was inspired by inaccuracy of maps Johnston used in his early years hiking in West Highlands. After graduating from University of Edinburgh he joined his brother in printing business “W. & A. K. Johnston” which used the clan motto “Ready Aye Ready” as their logo. The rest of Johnston’s life was devoted to geography and map making. Among other works, Johnston created the first English language physical globe of the world, and an atlas of military geography to accompany Alison’s History of Europe, first published in 1848. The company W & A K Johnston were appointed engravers to King William IV and Johnston was later elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Edward Forbes (1815-1854) was a prominent Victorian naturalist, geologist and palaeontologist. Initially interested in drawing and medicine, Forbes later studied natural history, geology and mineralogy. His first work on molluscs was published in 1838. In 1844, Forbes was appointed palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of Great Britain, and in 1853 he became president of the Geological Society of London. From 1854, Edward Forbes was appointed professor of natural history at the University of Edinburgh. Mount Forbes in Alberta, Canada, is named after him by J. Hector, his former student at the University of Edinburgh.

William Blackwood & Sons was a Scottish publishing house and printer founded by William Blackwood in 1804, in Edinburgh. Started as a modest shop selling old books, the company later became one of the major British publishers. The company’s London base was badly damaged during the Battle of Britain, when fire destroyed millions of books. The business went in decline after the war and finally closed in 1980.

This poster is a high quality “giclee” reproduction of a restored antique original, custom-printed on Standard Single-weight Matt Coated art paper 140gsm or  Heavyweight Matt Coated art paper 230gsm (more of a thin card density), or superb Epson Matt Canvas 320gsm, according to your choice. We use the latest UltraChromeHDX pigment inks which guarantee 60 years of colour  permanence (up to 200 years fade-proof for colour prints).  This poster is suitable for mounting and framing, as well as direct display on a wall.

IMPORTANT: If you are going to frame this print we recommend art paper 230gsm or canvas 320gsm. The 140gsm art paper option makes sense if you wish to DIY-frame or to tack the poster to a wall without framing, due to it being lighter and more flexible. All three options are giclee prints of the same high quality.

POSTER PRINT QUALITY

Please note that our reproduction posters are made to order and every print is checked before posting. The images we use in most cases are scans of antique originals, professionally restored in order to remove the most evident stains, folds, tears and other damage. We strive to balance the restoration and saving the overall integrity and antique appearance of the original. Our restored images are unique and these prints can be purchased only from www.VictorianMaps.com.

There will be no watermark on your image but there might be a white border depending on aspect ratio of the original. Please note that when a large antique original is reduced to a smaller size print some text may not be readable. Please check our measurements: every poster has its own aspect ratio same as original and printed exactly as pictured.