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Description

Early color lithograph of a Giant Sequoia, shortly after the discovery of the first of its species in California.

Not officially "discovered" by settlers until 1852 in the Sierra Nevadas of California, the sensational new species was widely celebrated as the largest and most ancient living tree on Earth. Common names included Mammoth Tree, Big Tree, Giant Sequoia and Sierra Redwood. The first scientific description of the tree was published in 1853 by the English botanist John Lindley who named the species "Wellingtonia Tigantea" in honor of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington. The specimen material had been taken from the chopped down "Mammoth Tree" by the English botanist William Lobb who worked for Veitch Nursery in London. The tree was pictured before its being chopped down in a lithograph originally engraved by "Day & Son, Lithographers To the Queen," c. 1855 and here reprinted in French, with a slight change to the title, including the name Lindl.

The original image was likely copied in part from an 1854 lettersheet picture by J. M. Hutchings, which was widely copied. This French edition is a mirror image of the original English edition.