- Title: Vanda Coerulea
- Author: Walter Hood Fitch
- Date: c.1865
- Condition: Very good - light staining in left margin
- Inches: 11 1/8 x 15 [Image]
- Centimeters: 28.25 x 38.01 [Image]
- Product ID: 308442
Vanda Coerulea, commonly known as the Blue Vanda or Blue Orchid, is a striking, medium to large-sized epiphytic orchid native to the montane forests of Northeast India, Myanmar, northern Thailand, and southern China, particularly in regions such as Assam, the Khasi Hills, and Yunnan. It typically grows on exposed deciduous trees, especially oaks, at elevations of 800–1,700 meters where it experiences a distinct dry season.
Background on Creator
Walter Hood Fitch (1817-1892) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. From a young age, he demonstrated artistic talent and began formal training as a pattern drawer at a textile mill by the age of 13. This early apprenticeship, which involved creating intricate designs for calico fabric and mastering the complex process of engraving and color matching, laid the technical foundation for his later work as a botanical illustrator.
Fitch’s career in botanical art began after a pivotal meeting with William Jackson Hooker, the Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University and editor of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine. Impressed by Fitch’s skill and attention to detail, Hooker bought him out of his apprenticeship and employed him to produce botanical illustrations for the magazine. Fitch’s first published lithograph, of Mimulus roseus, appeared in 1834.