Richard Earlom was among the finest mezzotint engravers in England, and mezzotint is the process that gives Thornton's book its particular darkness — the plate is roughened all over so it prints solid black, and the image is then burnished back out of that blackness into light. It is the only intaglio method that works from dark to light, which is why these flowers seem to be emerging from somewhere rather than sitting on paper. Every other print starts white. This one starts black and has the light cut out of it.

Maker: Richard Earlom, after Robert John Thornton
Date: 1805
Medium of the original: Plate
Original held by: National Gallery of Art, Washington · via Wikimedia Commons
Credit: National Gallery of Art, Washington · via Wikimedia Commons
Rights: Public domain, verified
Catalogue number: PA-01060

As chosen: 18 x 24 in, art print, classic frame
Picture	18 x 24 in
Outside size	19.6 x 25.6 in
Depth	0.9 in (22 mm)
Weight	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: shipped weight per size and frame]]
Hanging	[[REAL PROOF NEEDED: hanging hardware Prodigi fits to this frame]]
Material	Enhanced matte art paper, 200 gsm; acrylic glazing
Made in	Charlotte, North Carolina, by Prodigi

Before a size goes on sale, the file is measured against it: pixels per inch at that size, how much of the picture a crop would lose, tone and sharpness. A size that fails is not offered, so there is nothing to choose wrong.

How the print check works

Sizes offered
Size	dpi	Grade	How it fits
8 x 10 in	383	Excellent	Trimmed 4.1%
11 x 14 in	278	Excellent	Trimmed 2.4%
12 x 16 in	250	Excellent	Trimmed 2.2%
16 x 20 in	191	Good	Trimmed 4.1%
18 x 24 in	166	Good	Trimmed 2.2%

Sizes withheld
Size	Why
8 x 12 in	Wrong shape: a 13% crop
12 x 18 in	Wrong shape: a 13% crop
16 x 24 in	Wrong shape: a 13% crop
20 x 30 in	Wrong shape: a 13% crop
24 x 30 in	127 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
24 x 36 in	Wrong shape: a 13% crop
30 x 40 in	100 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
36 x 48 in	83 dpi; a historical scan is never enlarged
40 x 60 in	Wrong shape: a 13% crop

Scanned: 2026-10-07
Master file: 3,068 x 4,000 px, srgb
Tone: Darks 62, lights 220 of 255; 0% clipped light, 0% clipped dark
Colour: 0% vivid
Sharpness: 3.37