Pierre Antoine Poiteau: 1850 Botanical Prints

View the botanical prints of Poiteau who was a gardener to the King, a member of the Seine region's Royal Agriculture Society, Chief Gardener of the Royal Chateau of Fontainebleau and Versailles, Editor of Bon Jardiner as well as the Director of culture and royal habitation in the French Guiana.

Poiteau was also a self-educated man, the son of a poor farmer. He loved botany and sought to improve himself throughout his life, often embarrassed by his shortcomings. He endured remarkable hardships. He often fell sick from the hard labor of his father's profession. This did not discourage him.

He learned French and Latin at 25 years of age and decided to learn to draw at the age of 31 since he felt he expressed himself poorly. He thought you were never to old to learn. So he learned to draw in Santo Domingo from Turpin, another famous botanical artist, and Poiteau taught Turpin how to identify plants. The friendship lasted a lifetime.

Enjoy this remarkable man's prints and explore his life.