A taxonomy from the library of the Missouri Botanical Garden discovers The Florist, the first coloring book for adults, published in 1760 in London.
We had previously talked about the recent fashion of adult coloring books. However, this relaxing practice turns out not to be as current as it seemed. The discovery of the taxonoma Amy Pool, when investigating another book on the history of the botanical illustration, shows that this copy of the Robert Sayer publishing house is probably the first copy of books of these characteristics. It came to light a century before The Little Folks' Painting Book, a coloring book for children published in 1880 in the United States by the publisher McLoughlin Brothers, illustrated by Kate Greenaway, who until now had been considered the first on the market.
The florist is a collection of 60 plates of different flowers - violets, peonies, anemones, daffodils, iris, sunflowers, etc. - designed "for the use and amusement of gentlemen and ladies", as indicated on the page of their Title. It is accompanied by detailed instructions on the mixture of pigments and the techniques to apply them properly, "as they are in nature". The theory of Pool, about the publication of a book of this type, is that in the middle of the eighteenth century, a time of great explorations and scientific discoveries, people were very enthusiastic about natural history.
For the library of the Botanical Garden of Missouri it is a mystery how the specimen arrived to its collection. It seems that its owner never had time to color it. Its pages were used to press plants - residual spots are appreciated - and Albert's name is written on the back of the cover. The book also contains scribbles, apparently made by a child, as well as a few randomly written words. There is no doubt that this book hides, like everyone else, a curious personal story behind its pages. Maybe someone will write it someday.
what does this look like?