Curtis Botanical – Plate 6328 – Boxall's Blue Vanda / Blue Orchid

Original antique black-and-white print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine — Plate 6328.

The most famous blue flower in the orchid world — and arguably the most coveted orchid of the Victorian era. When Boxall first collected it in Burma in 1870s, orchid collectors literally stripped entire hillsides bare — thousands of plants shipped to England, most dying en route.

The most famous orchid in the collection.

Uncolored plate. Condition consistent with age of volume. Each print is a unique piece of botanical history, printed on paper aged over a century.

This is an original uncolored (plain) plate from leftover publisher stock of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, printed in London. It was issued uncolored and never bound. We bought the holding at the estate of a Chicago rare bookseller. Labels and stock papers from the British dealer Wheldon & Wesley came with it. Library stamps, when present, are noted on the listing.