Category Archives: scientific illustrations

Late 19th-Century Illustrations of Gems and Precious Stones

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Who loves rocks and minerals? Free scientific illustrations of rocks and minerals

I most certainly do 🙂

Recently, I went to the latest gems and minerals show held at the New York State Museum. It was awesome.

And a few years ago I was lucky enough to attend the rocks and minerals show in Tuscan, Arizona, the largest of its kind in the United States. That was an awesome show too, as I came away with some great mini trilobites at a fraction of the price.

Tip: vendors ALWAYS discount on the last day!

Anyways, I’m getting off track. I clearly had rocks and minerals on the brain, so I went searching through 19th-century mineralogy books and found some wonderful illustrations for you to use and share.

These are my favorite illustrations from the book, Gems and Precious Stones of North America. But you can view the entire book here where you’ll find more images too.

Antique rocks and minerals illustrations

 

Who Wrote This Book Anyway?

The vintage book, Gems and Precious Stones of North America, was written and illustrated by the 19th-century mineralogist, George Frederick Kunz.

Kunz was born in 1856 in New York City and harbored a love for rocks and minerals from an early age.

In fact, by the time he was a teenager, Kunz had collected thousands of specimens and sold them to the University of Minnesota.

Though a working mineralogist and collector, Kunz never went to college to pursue a degree in the field. Instead, he taught himself through his own field research and whatever mineralogy books he could find.

By 23, Kunz was already vice president of Tiffany & Co.

During his tenure with Tiffany & Co., Kunz discovered a new gem which was aptly named, Kunzite.

Kunz founded the Museums of the Peaceful Arts, was president of the American Metric Association, and was a lead research curator for the Museum of Natural History in New York City.

vintage illustrations of precious stones and gems

Shop For Rocks & Mineral Gifts

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Antique Illustrations of Houseplants From 1807

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A free antique botanical illustration of a round-headed buddlea plant Enjoy this free vintage botanical illustration of a calla lily Vintage botanical illustration of a magnolia houseplant from 1807

Personally, I love having lots of houseplants around.

My dream home would basically be an inside porch with an indoor garden.

Aside from aesthetics, houseplants apparently have the following benefits according to iGrow.org too:

  • NASA studies show that houseplants “scrub indoor air pollutants” and may even decrease the amount of carbon monoxide in the air.
  • Houseplants actually recycle carbon monoxide through photosynthesis which helps us breathe better indoors.
  • Plants increase humidity in your home, 97% of their own moisture to be exact, which is especially helpful during those dry summer and winter seasons.
  • Studies show that surrounding yourself with houseplants improves your memory and can increase your knowledge retention by 20%!

Well, that’s awesome.

But what do I love more than houseplants?

Vintage botanical illustrations of houseplants!

And lucky for me, I found lots of colorful houseplant illustrations from this colored plate book from 1807. I picked out my favorites, cleaned them up with Pixlr, and posted them below for you to use.

 

 

Vintage Book Illustrations of British Mammals

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Free to use vintage book illustration of British Fox Free vintage book illustration of British Squirrel

I think it’s time to add more animals to this site, don’t you think?

Good because I found this awesome antique book packed with British mammal illustrations from the early 20th century!

Published in 1920, British Mammals features more than 50 color plates and pen ink illustrations of Britain’s most recognized mammals.

I picked out my personal favorites, a walrus, fox, hedgehog, squirrel, and wildcat, then made a few quick edits using Pixlr.

These illustrations are perfect for magnets, postcards, coffee mugs, school flashcards, posters, and images for your blog.

Keep reading to learn more about the book’s illustrator, Archibald Thorburn.

Free antique illustration of a British Hedgehog Antique book illustration of British wildcat - free to use

An antique book illustration of a British Walrus

About The Artist: Archibald Thorburn

  • Archibald Thorburn was born in 1860 in Hascombe, Surrey in the UK.
  • He was of Scottish descent and frequently visited Scotland to paint its floral and fauna.
  • His favorite place in Scotland to paint was the Forest of Gaick.
  • Archibald’s father, Robert Thorburn, was a miniature portrait artist and worked for Queen Victoria.
  • His work was frequently shown at the Royal Academy.
  • He regularly painted birds, and in 1899, he created the first official Christmas Card for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Antique Scientific Illustrations of Shells

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Free antique scientific illustration of shell variety from 18th century science catalogI used to live by the beach and almost always came back home with pockets full of colorful shells. I miss those days, so I decided to dig around the public domain for some really great shell illustrations to clean up and share.

There are beautiful scientific illustrations of shells hiding out in dusty science publications from the 18th and 19th century. With so many to choose from, I selected a few of my most favorite illustrations for this post. These shells were selected from a variety of publications and catalogs focused on natural history and conchology, which is the study of mollusk shells.

Scientific illustrations are some of the most versatile works in the public domain. They make great material for school projects, crafts, classroom visual aids, posters, educational websites, blogs, and books, but they’re also handy for crafting DIY greeting cards, decoupage, wall art, and many more creative projects.

Antique Scientific Illustrations of Early Electronic Medical Equipment

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This is a free vintage scientific illustration of a medical galvanometerAn early fascination with antique scientific illustrations helped inspire me to get into digital curation and archiving. These historic illustrations offer us a fascinating look into how science and medicine were practiced and understood in the 19th century. So much has changed, and it’s exciting to look back at how far science and medicine has evolved since the mid-1800s.

These particular antique images represent the early electronic machines and equipment used in hospitals in the 1860s. Selected from a medical equipment catalog published in 1868, the following scientific illustrations feature an old fashioned galvanometer, single-coil medical instruments, compound magnetic instruments, and magneto-electric machines.

So what they heck are these?

Apparently Galvanometers were used to detect electrical currents. This machine featured a single-coil construction, and when an electric current passed through the coil, it would trigger the pointer to move. Doctors would also use compound magnetic instruments to treat conditions related to the nervous system too.

Today, these vintage medical illustrations reside in the public domain and can be used for a wide variety of creative projects. Add them to your blog, email newsletters, online history lessons, and social media posts, or create unique invitations, greeting cards, and other printed products.

 

Geektastic Gifts Featuring Scientific Medical Illustrations

 

Human Anatomy Skeletons by Leondardo da Vinci 20 Oz Large Ceramic Coffee Mug    Vintage 1800s Heart Retro Cardiac Anatomy Hearts Adult Apron   antique medical instruments greeting card

Free Vintage Illustrations of Wild Animals, Insects, and Marine Life from Antique Children’s Science Book

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I’ve been wanting to do a wild animals post for a while, but hadn’t found the right content I was looking for until now. Published in 1895, A Popular History of Animals for Young People was like an early version of Scientific Britannica for Kids. Rather than cartoonish animal figures, this book features animals drawn in that classic scientific illustration style. I love reading through old informational resources and encyclopedias and spotting outdated information and the changes in views, psychology, zoology, and more subjects. But those antique book illustrations never go out of style! These images are no longer under copyright, so they’re free to use in all your animal-themed projects. Furthermore, these free images are great for book covers, placemats, postcards, t-shirt designs, posters, Etsy crafts, and more creative projects. Plus don’t forget to check out some quick zoological history facts at the end of this post!

Antique Illustrations of Wild Mammals
Vintage Marine Life and Insects
Wild spiders and more insects
Vintage Butterflies and Caterpillars
Vintage Wild Insects
Vintage Marine Life
Antique Snakes and Reptiles
Wild Birds
Antique Wild Birds
Vintage Wild Birds
Wild Animals

Fun Facts about the History of Zoology

  • Zoology is also known as animal biology, which is the branch of biological study that deals with just the animal kingdom and how animals interact with their environment. Examples of different subjects in animal biology/zoology include: embryology, classification, ecology, evolution, molecular biology, and extinction.
  • Zoological study was first introduced in ancient Greco-Roman times
  • Pioneering naturalists like Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and Carl Linnaeus were among the first people to start documenting animal biodiversity and animal classification.
  • Charles Darwin’s famous work about natural selection, The Origin of the Species, shook the zoological world in 1859.
  • Aristotle wrote extensively about living things, encouraging the emerging study of zoology
  • Ancient Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder, wrote a 37-volume zoological book called Historia naturalis (Natural History) – this is often credited as the first written scientific encyclopedia. While this book did not discern between scientific facts and assumptions from the scientific community of the time, this book nonetheless served as the predominant text on natural history (in the western world) for centuries.

If you’re posting these images on your website or social media pages, please link back to this site, FreeVintageIllustrations.com.

Free Vintage Scientific Illustrations from 1883 Antique Science Journal

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Every year, I see more and more homemade gifts and Christmas decor made from vintage scientific illustrations. Antique sketches of microscopes, fossils, canyons, and minerals are great for a wide range of gifts, like greeting cards, ornaments, fine art collages, wall art, book covers, printed fabric, and homemade books. I went to one of my favorite public domain archives to search for more amazing vintage scientific illustrations to share. I came across a science journal from 1883 (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and it was jam-packed with intriguing engineering sketches of the time and beautiful nature drawings. I was particularly drawn the hot air balloon illustrations and trilobites! These 19th century illustrations give us a unique look into the ideas and inventions of the time. These prints are exciting because they were published less than 20 years before the start of the great industrial revolution.

Antique hot air balloon
Antique Valley illustration
Antique Ocean Tides Map
Antique Batteries
Trilobite fossil
Inside Hot Air Balloon
Antique testing machine
Antique Granite Falls
Chemistry University
Vintage Yellowstone

Craft Ideas for Scientific Illustrations

Vintage scientific illustrations can be used in a variety of creative ways, making them an ideal crafting material for birthdays, holidays, and interior decorating. Furthermore, they’re appropriate for a wide range of ages and interests. Perfect for med school birthdays, science geek gifts, and Etsy products, these public domain science illustrations go a long way. To stay inspired, copy and share this list of craft ideas to start making cool geek inspired gifts today!

  • Create your own science-themed printed playing cards
  • Make cool greeting cards for Halloween
  • Make a popular science-themed t shirts
  • Science themed birthday cards
  • Disposable paper placemats
  • DIY Journal Covers
  • Digital Collages
  • Printed Couch Pillows
  • Earrings and resin pendants
  • Glass paperweights
  • Geeky Christmas tree ornaments