FLO4590223: Male and female Mandarins (magistrates) in summer dress, imperial court of China. Embroidered square on their tunic reveals their rank and type: bird for civil, animal for military. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Andrea Freschi after Antoine Cardon from Henri-Leonard-Jean-Baptiste Bertin and Jean Baptiste Joseph Breton's China, Its Costumes, Arts, Manufactures, etc., Howlett and Brimmer, London, 1824. / Bridgeman Images
PIX4590341: Swan Constellation - Cygnus constellation - On the right, the bright star is Vega, in the constellation Lyra. Also visible are the constellations of the Fleche and the Petite Fox. Cygnus (the Swan), is clearly the bird flying along the northern Milky Way. Many legends refer to this distinctive constellation, including that of Zeus who disguised himself as a swan while visiting Leda, wife of the King of Sparta. This union resulted in Pollux, one of the heavenly twins. English legends see here the more prosaic outline of a flying hen in this part of the sky. Because Cygnus is in the Milky Way, it is rich in Galactic objects that are visible in binoculars and modest telescopes, notable are the enormous North America Nebula (NCG 7000) and the faint shreds of the Veil nebula, a supenova remnant that covers a patch of sky five times larger than the full Moon. Vulpecula (the Fox) is a faint constellation created by Johannes Hevelius, who called it Vulpecula Cum Anser, the Fox and Goose. Anser is the only named star in an otherwise undistinguished part of the sky / Bridgeman Images
FLO4590345: Chinese distiller making Cho-Chou or brandy in a vat on a furnace. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Andrea Freschi after Antoine Cardon from Henri-Leonard-Jean-Baptiste Bertin and Jean Baptiste Joseph Breton's China, Its Costumes, Arts, Manufactures, etc., Howlett and Brimmer, London, 1824. / Bridgeman Images
PIX4588838: Eagle Constellations, Dauphin, Fleche - Constellations of Aquila, Delphinus and Sagitta - Antinous is an extirpated constellation. Plate extracted from the Mirror of Urania by Jehoshaphat Aspin - 1825 Antinous is a former constellation. Urania's Mirror, by Jehoshaphat Aspin, 1825 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4588871: Variete of passionflower or grenadilla - Banana passionfruit, Passiflora mollissima (Soft-leaved tacsonia, Tacsonia mollissima). Handcoloured copperplate engraving by George Barclay after an illustration by Miss Sarah Drake from Edwards' Botanical Register, edited by John Lindley, London: Ridgeway, 1846. / Bridgeman Images
FLO4588932: Small shoot-carrying thrixspermum orchid, Thrixspermum calceolus (Slippered fleshlip, Sarcochilus calceolus). Handcoloured copperplate engraving by George Barclay after an illustration by Miss Sarah Drake from Edwards' Botanical Register, edited by John Lindley, London: Ridgeway, 1846. / Bridgeman Images
PIX4589001: Andromede Constellation - Constellation of Andromeda - Andromede constellation extracted from the Hevelius Uranographia. Recolorised image. Map showing the constellation of Andromeda with its mythological form from “” Uranographia”” star atlas by Hevelius (1690). Recolored Image / Bridgeman Images
PIX4589163: Constellation Belier - Aries constellation - View from New Zealand. Aries (Latin for Ram) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. It lies between Pisces to the west and Taurus to the east. Aries' stars are rather faint except for Ari (Hamal) and Ari (Sharatan). Other important stars are Ari (Mesarthim) and Ari (Botein) / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611239: Crab Sally pied leger et arignee de mer - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Red rock crab, Grapsus grapsus, and spider crab, Maia squinado - Handcoloured parplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611248: Harpy eagle of America and small eagle of Guiana - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Harpy eagle, Harpia harpyja (near threatened) and crested eagle, Morphnus guile Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Antoine de Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611284: Antelope oreotrague or sassa and antelope Rouanne or hippotragus - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus oreotragus, and Antelope, Hippotragus equinus - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611305: Spiral galaxy M100 in Berenice's Hair - Spiral galaxy M100 in Coma Berenices - The spiral galaxy M100 (NGC 4321) is located about 60 million years ago - light from Earth. It belongs to the Virgin's galaxy cluster. Several dwarf elliptic galaxies are visible in this image, one just above M100 probably interacting. This face - on spiral M100, is one of the finest spirals in the Virgo galaxy cluster. As might be expected in a galaxy - rich environment, the lack of perfect symmetry in its brightest spiral arms suggests that M100 has been disturbed by gravitational interaction with its neighbours. At the top of the image is a less spectacular galaxy, a so - called 'nucleated dwarf' elliptical galaxy, probably interacting with M100 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611306: Spiny lobster or burail lobster and mantis shrimp or squille - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Spiny lobster, Panulirus homarus, and mantis shritis shmp, Squilla mantis - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611314: Variete de daisy, florestine pedalee - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “dictionary of natural sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Florestina pedata - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1880-1858) 45), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “Dictionary of Natural Science,” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611324: Imperiale fritillaire ou crown imperiale - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Crown imperial, Fritillaria imperialis - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611377: The elliptical galaxy NGC 4458 - The elliptical galaxy NGC 4458 - The galaxy NGC 4458 is 53 million years away - light from Earth, in the Virgin's cluster. Image obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope. The elliptical galaxy NGC 4458 lies at a distance of 53 million light - years from the Sun in the spring constellation Virgo. This image was made from data taken with Hubble space telescope / Bridgeman Images
PIX4611429: M87 elliptical galaxy in Virgo - M87 elliptical galaxy in Virgo - The M87 galaxy (NGC 4486) is located about 60 million years ago - light from Earth, in the heart of the Virgin's cluster. M87 is the brightest radio source in the constellation, it is also called Virgo A. Image made with Siding Spring's 3.9m telescope. Messier 87 (NGC 4486) is at the heart of the Virgo cluster and has a mass many times that of the Milky Way, itself no lightweight. Unlike our galaxy however, M87 is an elliptical galaxy. Though it appears more - or - less spherical on this photograph, a deep image shows it to be markedly elongated. Also unlike the Milky Way, M87 contains relatively little gas and dust. It is composed mainly of cool stars, which gives it a yellowish colour, in contrast to the blue of spiral galaxies. Despite the lack of star - forming materials, M87 is not a quiescent backwater. It is a powerful source of radio waves and the orbits of stars near its nucleus suggest they are held by a very massive, extremely compact core. Also, from the nucleus (but not seen here) extends a curious jet, all of which suggests that a massive black hole is hidden in the bright core of the galaxy / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611441: Albatros howler and black-eyed gull - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “dictionary of natural sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans (vulnerable), and common seagull, Chroicocephalull Ridibundus - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611447: Martin pecheur huppe et martin pecheur aquamarine - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), extracted from the “dictionary of natural sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Malachite kingfisher, Alcedo cristata, and Cerulean kingfisulher, Alcedo coerced escens - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780-1845), directed by P. J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images
FLO4611471: Autumn Colchique - Lithography, illustration by Jean Gabriel Pretre (1780-1885) edited by Pierre Jean Francois Turpin (1775-1840), from the “Dictionary of Natural Sciences” by Antoine de Jussieu (1686-1758) - Meadow saffron, Colchicum autumnale - Handcoloured copperplate engraving, illustration by J. G. Pretre (1780 1845), directed by P J.F. Turpin, from Jussieu's “” Dictionary of Natural Science,”” Paris, 1837 / Bridgeman Images