At the end of the nineteenth century, German artist and professor Anton Seder was appointed founding director of Strasbourg’s College of Decorative Arts. Seder (1850–1916) developed the school as an influential artistic force in the Alsace-Lorraine region, creating work that bridged French and German artistic styles and contributed to the development of Art Nouveau.
Among Seder’s work from this time is Die Pflanze in Kunst und Gewerbe (The plant in art and trade), two volumes of approximately two hundred images, stunning in their artistry and graceful depiction of nature. One hundred thirty years after its publication, this visual tour of the world’s plants (and a few animals, if you look closely) represents some of the most vibrant work of the era.
The illustrations in this colouring book come from a copy of Die Pflanze held in the collections of the British Library. One page at the back of the colouring book has been left blank, so that you can decoratively document the plant life that flourishes near you.