Butterfly on Flowering Branch with Shadows , Fine 19th Century Watercolor scuffs 8" tall x 4 1/2"

8" tall x 4 1/2" as folded

but also handy still for the occasional mend

and appears to show remnants of white paint

and think they make quite a handsome and happy couple

Butterfly on Flowering Branch with Shadows , Fine 19th Century Watercolor scuffs 8" tall x 4 1/2"A couple more today from a group of beautifully executed 19th c. ink and watercolor butterflies, likely done by a young woman, 1870s or so I would guess and this one as much a botanical study as a butterfly portrait. Feels to me almost akin to a Mapplethorpe photograph of a flower quite a suggestive, velvety red orchid like bloom looking poised to swallow that butterfly! Quite finely done, with pale ink wash shadows enhancing its sense of realism and