From the exhibition
Alopecurus geniculatus L.
· 1896

This herbarium specimen—a pressed and mounted grass plant with roots, stems, and seed heads—belongs to the tradition of scientific documentation rather than political satire. The label indicates it was collected in Cumbria, North Lincolnshire, as part of the Lincolnshire Plants Past and Future Project. Such botanical specimens, preserved in institutional collections like the British Museum, form the foundation of plant taxonomy and ecological record. While herbarium sheets lack the satirical intent of Gillray or Rowlandson, they represent a parallel visual culture of precise, purposeful representation—one that influenced how information would be conveyed in printed matter, from scientific journals to the sequential narratives that would evolve into modern comics.
Public domain, restored and presented by comicbooks.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/