The British Library in London has given TrendLand exclusive access to unique wildlife illustrations done by Indian artists working in Calcutta, Barrackpore and South India between 1798 and 1805.
The level of craftsmanship in these watercolor drawings sends us back into a time when documenting nature required patient artistry. The British Library invites us to reinterpret these ancient illustrations of exotic animals, sea life and plants and explore its international collection of prints and drawings. The archives span 500 years, with the rest of the holdings dating back as far as 2000 BC. On an average day, over 16 000 people visit the library onsite and online.
Designers such as Mary Katrantzou extensively used the British Library’s stamp collection (again, the largest in the world) for the print designs in her Spring/Summer 2013 collection. These days you can also run into Henry Holland or Patrick Grant doing their research, amongst all the other readers who have a background in design, fashion, film and art.
