News

  We are pleased to announce the acquisition of a unique collection of original watercolors prepared for a classic period work for every fly fisher and all trout anglers interested in the development of fly-fishing entomology, Leonard West's The Natural Trout Fly and its Imitation.   Leonard West was a stalwart of the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society (and President for 1916) and founding member of the St. Helen's Fly-fisher's Club. His approach to fly-fishing was based on the premise that "the angler with a knowledge of entomology, possesses a great advantage, and is able readily to select a fly." He made his intended audience...

In the seventeenth-century, florists were so preoccupied with tulips that few took an interest in another magnificent import: the hyacinth.  Those that did tout this robust breed preferred the single varieties, which conformed to the period’s preference for symmetry of form and purity of color...

Looking for a silver lining in hard times is, at best, hard.  Though historically some of the greatest creative works were created during and after great loss, or strain. If any good shall come from our current health crisis, perhaps it will be how our writers and artists respond. It brings to mind the artist Pierre-Joseph Redoute who was an official artist for French royalty in the 19th-century, first Queen Marie-Antoinette, and then Napoleon's wife Empress Josephine. Somehow, he managed to survive the chaos of the French Revolution.  After Josephine's death, the artist was forced to make a living in the marketplace...