Hyacinths, Plate 31

This chromolithographic plate from A. C. Van Eeden's Flora of Haarlem depicts two cultivated hyacinth varieties with botanical precision. The white 'D.W. La Tour d'Auvergne' and purple 'S.B. Grand Lilacs' specimens display the dense, pyramidal flower clusters characteristic of nineteenth-century Dutch horticultural achievement. Rendered by artist Arentine H. Arendsen, the illustration combines scientific documentation with aesthetic refinement—a hallmark of Victorian-era botanical publishing. The delicate gradations in petal coloring and careful attention to foliation demonstrate the chromolithographic process's capacity for reproducing cultivated plant varieties. Published by the Amsterdam firm A. C. Van Eeden & Co., the work reflects the Netherlands' historical prominence in bulb cultivation and commercial floriculture.