The best vintage and antique illustrated books in the public domain (with free downloads!)
“There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books.” – C.S. Lewis.
As you can probably guess, I’m in the crew that believes old books need to be revisited, celebrated, and referenced far beyond the time in which they were published. Absolutely, I love fresh ideas and keeping up to date with new illustrators – you’ll often find me lurking around the new release shelf at the library or in a cute bookshop. But there’s just SOMETHING about the old stuff that my brain and soul craves.
We live in a time where information is at our fingertips. Want to know what kind of butterfly that is? A google image search will have that for you in a snap. So I think for me, one of the best things about illustrations from antique books (and in particular, vintage natural history books) is knowing that the artist was also much of the time the discoverer or pioneer of the subject. The time they would have taken to fully understand the subject before illustrating it and sharing it with the world, and the stalwart curiosity driving them – and then the skill required to translate it onto paper!
It’s also fascinating to compare our current norms and ideals to the sensibilities of past times. Some differences are hilarious – check out our vintage recipes in the food illustration gallery for some ‘classy’ interpretations on how to served tinned fruit! But of course, not all are funny – you only need a quick scan through the vintage advertising gallery to find some travel posters that are so backward and culturally insensitive that we cringe thinking we might have ever been so awfully ignorant.
“Old books” of course is a very broad topic, but we’ve gone with what we think are the most beautiful, or interestingly illustrated. Which, of course, is still a HUGE amount, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have my favorites! Some are early or first editions of classics that are still in print today, and some are books almost lost to the archives of a dark, cold library basement. If you’re new to the world of vintage book illustrations then take this as a quick intro, and if you’re familiar with many of the classics, let’s see if we have any favorites in common!
The Emerald City of Oz, from the Wizard of Oz series
Did you know that there are actually 14 books in the Land of Oz series? And, you guessed it, they are some of the most gorgeous vintage books around! This early edition of L.Frank Baum’s The Emerald City of Oz (the 6th book in the series) gets full points from me.
While some may think of early printing processes as restrictive due to the ability to only print with a handful of colors, I think it works to make a big impact on the cover and the illustrations within the book. I love the spearmint green and the way it pops with that tomato red, and the strong, balanced composition reflective of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco trends of the time. We’ve got more from this antique wizard of oz series for you to download free!
The Birds of Australia, by John Gould
This was the first major ornithology book about Australian birds. I’m a bit of a bird-nerd, and we just spent 2 years traveling around Australia in a caravan, so this one is particularly special to me. The lithographs in it are some of the most intricate and perfect I have ever seen – we were lucky enough to see some of the originals in the South Australian museum.
John Gould was an obsessive naturalist, ornithologist and curator at the Zoological Society of London, but I’m totally fascinated by Elizabeth Gould, his wife. While John’s name got all the glory, it was Elizabeth who produces the majority of illustrations for his books. She was a busy mother of their children in a time where women were not usually supported in their other work, but she somehow managed to make time to produce these stunning, world-class works of art. She tragically died before the book was complete, so another artist was commissioned to finish off the work. I’ve just discovered a semi-fictional account of her life story, so I’m excited to jump into that soon. In the meantime check out our gallery of vintage bird illustrations, including more of Elizabeth Gould’s work!
The Fairy Book, by Warwick Goble
Anything by Warwick Goble gets a big tick from me. Dreamy landscapes and characters, masterful use of watercolor, and spellbinding stories all come together in the most wonderful vintage fairytale books. His best-known is The Fairy Book, (written by Dinah Craik, but illustrated by Goble) but he also illustrated a number of late 19th-century books such as The Water Babies, Treasure Island, and even the first edition of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. Strongly influenced (hmmm, cultural appropriation perhaps?) by Japanese and Indian artwork, he also produced artwork for a number of Eastern-inspired books of stories. More on Warwick Goble here, or if you just want to immerse yourself in vintage fairy illustrations check out the full gallery!
Aesop’s Fables, Art Nouveau edition
The Baby’s Own Aesop is a gorgeous book from 1908, featuring the illustrations of the one and only Walter Crane. Aesops original fables were condensed down into fun limericks for children and paired with delightful and skillful illustrations. Produced smack bang in the Art Nouveau period, the illustrations in this vintage nursery rhyme book show all the hallmarks of the era – decorative curves and curls, fine detailing, organic “whiplash” lines. There’s also that signature focus on framing, composition, and the contrast of fine and heavy outlining which brings all that whimsy together and gives it strength.
Walter Crane is one of the best-known Art Nouveau illustrators, and he not only produced artwork for books, but for wallpapers, tiles, and stand-alone fine paintings too. For more childrens book illustrations check out our full gallery.
The best antique Marine Science book!
Artforms in Nature is the work of german biologist Ernst Haeckl, who worked in lithograph and halftone to mass produce his illustrations. There are some beautiful illustrations borne from the world of natural science just by the fact that nature IS the highest form of art, but Haeckl’s work really stands out. It seems he’s one of the first to see the potential of sharing science as art, and you can tell by the detail of his work that he must have been completely absorbed in his subjects. My favourite thing about this vintage science book is the how he created a work of art on every page, by carefully arranging complimentary forms of jellyfish, anemones, urchins, and ammonites in compositions that bring out the best of each. We’ve got a full gallery of vintage marine biology illustrations (including Haeckl’s work) for you to explore and download free!
The Illustrated Book of the Dog
This antique animal book by Vero Shaw makes the cut because it strikes me as fantastically ridiculous, but I shouldn’t giggle at man’s best friend. Dog’s have been sources of fascination and friendship for humans for centuries and so it’s no wonder that this book was widely circulated and celebrated. Beautifully illustrated with painstaking details in the fur and grass, this antique book covers a wide range of dog breeds from Labradors to beagle and every popular breed in between. Love it too? We’ve got a whole gallery of vintage dog illustrations for you to explore.
So, what did you think of my round up? If you want to do some exploring of your own we’ve got over 5000 vintage illustrations for you to dive into. And best of all, they’re all in the public domain so you can download them and use them however you like! Enjoy.
Vintage Book illustrations of Animals
A companion to Mr. Bullock's London Museum and Pantherion
Illustrations By: Howitt, Samuel
Published 1812
Bilder-Atlas zur wissenschaftlich-populären Naturgeschichte der Wirbelthiere
Illustrations By: Fitzinger, Leopold Joseph
Published 1867
Brehms Tierleben. Allgemeine kunde des Tierreichs
Illustrations By: Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Published 1911
Descrizioni degli animali : corrispondenti alle cinquanta figure continente in questo ... volume de'quadrupedi
Illustrations By: Alessandri, Innocente
Published 1771-1775
Dictionnaire universel d'histoire naturelle
Illustrations By: Orbigny, Charles d'
Published 1847-1849
Edinburgh journal of natural history and of the physical sciences, with the Animal kingdom of the Baron Cuvier
Illustrations By: Cuvier, Georges
Published 1835-1840
Iconographic encyclopaedia of science, literature, and art
Illustrations By: Heck, Johann Georg
Published 1852
The book of dogs; an intimate study of mankind's best friend
Illustrations By: Fuertes, Louis Agassiz
Published 1919
The breeds of the domestic animals of the British Islands
Illustrations By: Nicholson, William
Published 1842
The game birds and wild fowl of Sweden and Norway
Illustrations By: Lloyd, L. (Llewelyn)
Published 1867
The Naturalist's Miscellany
Illustrations By: Nodder, Elizabeth R | Nodder, Richard Polydore
Published 1789-1813
Wild life of the world : a descriptive survey of the geographical distribution of animals
Illustrations By: Lydekker Richard
Published 1916
Vintage Book illustrations of Birds
A monograph of the Alcedinidae : or, family of kingfishers
Illustrations By: Sharpe, Richard Bowdler
Published 1868-71
A monograph of the Ramphastidae, or family of toucans
Illustrations By: Gould, Elizabeth | Gould, John
Published 1852
A monograph of the Trochilidae, or family of humming-birds Supplement
Illustrations By: Gould, John
Published 1880-1887
Iconographie des pigeons, non figurés par Mme Knip
Illustrations By: Blanchard, E
Published 1857-1858
Monograph of the Paradiseidae, or birds of paradise and Ptilonorhynchidae, or bower-birds
Illustrations By: Sharpe, Richard Bowdler
Published 1891-98
The zoology of the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle ... during the years 1832-1836
Illustrations By: Gould, Elizabeth | Gould, John
Published 1838
Vintage Book illustrations of Sealife
Die acraspeden Medusen der deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition 1898-1899. Mit Tafel I-VIII
Illustrations By: VanHöffen, Ernst
Published 1902
Die Pflanzenthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur : mit Farben erleuchtet nebst Beschreibungen
Illustrations By: Esper, Eugen Johann Christoph
Published 1791
I Cefalopodi viventi nel Golfo di Napoli (sistematica) : monografia
Illustrations By: Jatta, Giuseppe
Published 1896
Manuel d'actinologie ou de zoophytologie
Illustrations By: Blainville, H.-M. Ducrotay de
Published 1834-1836
Nereis australis, or Algae of the southern ocean
Illustrations By: Harvey, William Henry
Published 1847-1849
The Great Barrier Reef of Australia; its products and potentialities
Illustrations By: Saville-Kent, William
Published 1893
Vintage Book illustrations of Human Anatomy
Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation
Illustrations By: Cuvier, Georges
Published 1836-1849
Man : his structure and physiology : popularly explained and demonstrated
Illustrations By: Knox, Robert
Published 1857
Vintage Book illustrations of Botanical
Choix des plus belles fleurs :et des plus beaux fruits
Illustrations By: Redouté, Pierre Joseph
Published 1833
Collection de 24 bouquets de fleurs : dessinés et gravés d'après nature
Illustrations By: Vincent, Henriette Antoinette
Published 1835
Études de fleurs et de fruits : peints d'après nature
Illustrations By: Vincent, Henriette Antoinette
Published 1820
Exotic botany illustrated, in thirty-five figures of curious and elegant plants
Illustrations By:
Published 1759
Historia naturalis palmarum
Illustrations By: Martius, Karl Friedrich Philipp von,
Published 1823-50
Illustrations of British mycology, containing figures and descriptions of the funguses of interest and novelty indigenous to Britain
Illustrations By: Hussey, Anna Maria
Published 1847-1855
Illustrations of the fungi of our fields and woods : drawn from natural specimens
Illustrations By: Price, Sarah
Published 1864-1865
Lehrbuch der praktischen Pflanzenkunde in Wort und Bild :
Illustrations By: Hoffman, Carl | Réveil, Oscar
Published 1888
Plantae selectae quarum imagines ad exemplaria naturalia Londini, in hortis curiosorum nutrita
Illustrations By: Trew, Christoph Jacob
Published 1750-1773
The illustration horticole : an illustrated monthly review of new and interesting plants with their descriptions, history and culture
Illustrations By: Linden, Jean Jules
Published 1874 - 75
The Pomological magazine; or, Figures and descriptions of the most important varieties of fruit cultivated in Great Britain
Illustrations By: Lindley, John
Published https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/28356
Vintage Book illustrations of Insects
Arcana entomologica; or illustrations of new, rare and interesting insects
Illustrations By:
Published 1841
Die ausländischen Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur
Illustrations By: Bock, Johann Carl
Published 1785-1801
Vintage Book illustrations of Fairy Tales
East of the sun and west of the moon : old tales from the North
Illustrations By: Nielsen, Kay
Published 1922
Mother Earth's children; the frolics of the fruits and vegetables
Illustrations By: Ross, M. T
Published 1914
FreeVintageillustrations.com is where we post our best finds from the public domain. We have a particular interest in natural history illustration – anything from shells, to birds to beautiful blooms! We’ve also got a bit of a thing for vintage fairy tale illustration, particularly from the art nouveau and art deco periods. Our archive is BIG and we’re adding more treasures as we find them. It’s a resource for students, teachers, writers, and anyone who needs creative inspiration and materials for their projects.
Thanks.