Collection: Prints and Posters: Erpétologie générale by Duméril and Bibron

This collection brings together a selection of prints and posters reproducing the plates from Erpétologie générale ou Histoire naturelle complète des reptiles, an editorial monument written by naturalists André-Marie-Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron. Produced at the Muséum d'histoire naturelle in Paris, this reference work methodically catalogs and describes the class of reptiles and amphibians. Each offered print constitutes a faithful reproduction of the original scientific illustrations, offering an overview of 19th-century zoological knowledge.

Published between 1834 and 1854, this monumental work represents the culmination of twenty years of sustained scientific research. Erpétologie générale stands as the very first encyclopedic and systematic treatise entirely dedicated to reptiles and amphibians, establishing a modern classification and rigorous taxonomy. The engraved and hand-colored plates accompanying the texts reflect the exceptional graphic standards of 19th-century French natural history illustration. Created with great anatomical precision, these plates combine documentary rigor, scientific accuracy, and true aesthetic elegance, immortalizing the morphology and biological diversity of the specimens studied during this pivotal era for zoology.

Intended to enrich the wall decoration of a study space, library, or cabinet of curiosities, these prints and posters bring a heritage and scholarly presence. This collection allows lovers of antique illustrations, researchers in the history of science, and zoology enthusiasts to rediscover a major iconographic corpus of herpetology. By bringing these images together within a coherent ensemble, this series highlights the visual heritage of an essential encyclopedic enterprise, ensuring cultural and educational continuity without claiming to sell original period engravings.