Stokesia Cyanea

This hand-colored lithograph depicts the cornflower aster in full bloom, accompanied by buds and botanical detail studies. Created by Mrs. Withers for The Illustrated Bouquet, a Victorian-era publication that combined horticultural accuracy with refined artistic technique, the plate demonstrates the period's marriage of scientific observation and decorative aesthetics. Botanical illustration served both educational and aesthetic purposes, making it essential to Victorian cultural life. Such engravings circulated widely through published collections, influencing garden design and plant nomenclature while showcasing the skilled labor of women artists working within the natural history tradition.