Antique of the Week: 19th Century Botanicals by J. Watts

As everyone in Kensington knows, Antique Row is one of the community’s points of pride. Howard Avenue and its side streets are lined with shops specializing in antique furniture, rugs, vintage toys, used books and more. This large presence in the community sparked our feature, Antique of the Week, where we will showcase a different item or curiosity each week to bring attention to pieces from the past.

This week, we’re featuring botanical engravings by J. Watts available at . Margaret Goldsborough, one of the store's proprietors, said that these engravings show the different stages of a plant. Goldsborough explained that people used to make very accurate drawings to display their scientific endeavors; the engravings would then be printed in a book or portfolio.

These engravings were published by M. Hart in “The Botanical Register.”  Goldsborough said you can even see the impression marks on the border that were created by the pressure of the metal plate, which is “indicative of its authenticity.” The engravings span from 1816 to 1837.

The engravings are on sale for $185 individually at Goldsborough Glynn at 3746 Howard Ave. For more information, call 301-933-4460.