Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation

This was a limited-edition suite of 12 frameable reproductions of decorative and unusual images selected from distinguished illustrated works of history, science and technology. Six of the reproductions were from the Library of the Hunt Institute and six were from the collections of the University Libraries (the Fine and Rare Book Rooms and the Architecture Archives) of Carnegie Mellon University. A decorative portfolio protected the interleaved set of plates, and a title page listed the title and citation for each of the images. Each set was hand-numbered. Four of the plates measured approximately twenty inches in height by fifteen inches; eight were fifteen by ten inches. The reproductions were printed on a 100% rag, laid paper that was handmade in the late 1950s by J. Barcham Greene & Son at the Hayle Mill in Maidenstone, Kent, England. The paper was commissioned by Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt and had a custom watermark. This cream-colored paper was acid-free and would not become brittle or darken with age. The images were printed in black with crimson ruled borders, and the title page was on vellum.