Les Fleurs Animees (1847)

I was thumbing through some antique prints in a shop a few weeks ago and came across a unique colored plate from a 1847 book called Les Fleurs Animees, illustrated by J. J. Grandville. I'm not French scholar, but I believe it translates to The Animated Flowers, animated in that the difference between this book and other botanical pictorials is that these flowers have human faces and characteristics.



Many of the illustrations are based on the flower or plant's namesake, such as the Narcissus.



Some of them are cheeky or amusing, like these Hawthorn (Aubepine in French) which are about to be trimmed.






I've found the book and its individual prints for sale online in various places, but it does seem to be somewhat rare. A framed print from Les Fleurs Animees would make for a lovely decoration of any room.