Alois Auer (1813-1869)

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Alois Auer (1813-1869) was an Austrian printer,
inventor and botanical illustrator, most active during the
1840s and 1850s. He produced a number of works in German
and other languages, including the first regarding the
nature printing process
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Image by Alois Auer, using the Nature printing process -
a printing process, developed in the 18th century, that uses
the plants, animals, rocks and other natural subjects to produce
an image. The subject undergoes several stages to give a direct
impression onto materials such as lead, gum, and photographic
plates, which are then used in the printing process
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From 'The Discovery of the Natural Printing Process:
An Invention', Vienna, 1853 by Auer. In this plate, he showed
readers the different forms that nature prints can take: as well as
prints from stone, wood, flowers, leaves, seaweeds and fabric, there
are prints from snakeskin and the tail of a petrified fish
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