Schubert [Horse & Donkey] Pl. XXVII

Pl. XXVII. [Horse & Donkey] From Dr. G.H. v. Schubert’s Naturgesshichte der Thiere in Bildern. 

Esslingen: J.F. Schreiber, 1842-43.  Lithograph.  Full original hand color.

A strong image of a horse and a donkey from a colorful series of German natural history prints from near the middle of the nineteenth century.   The prints were issued in a volume whose title roughly translated is, “Natural History of Animals in Pictures... Pictures of Instruction for Children in School and the Home.”  The images are thus visually simple and bold, yet intended to be accurate.  The strong renderings and bright hand color make these prints visual delights, as well as wonderful documents of the past.