Papillons: vingt planches en phototypie coloriées au patron donnant 81 papillons et 16 compositions décoratives

Album with 20 pochoir pattern plates, titled "Papillons: vingt planches en phototypie coloriées au patron donnant 81 papillons et 16 compositions décoratives" (Butterflies: twenty plates with colored phototypes with patterns with 81 butterflies and 16 decorative compositions), created by Emile-Allain Séguy and published in Paris by Tolmer Éditeur, probably in the 1920s. The collection contains a title page, one page of text, one page with the contents of the portfolio, listing the exotic kinds of butterflies featured in the illustration, and 20 illustrated plates: the first 16 plates of the collection are made up of five illustrations of different butterflies; the last four contain abstract decorative patterns inspired on the natural patterns seen in the wings of butterflies, revealing a successful combination of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Executed in bold colors, the illustrations created by Séguy feature remarkably detailed depictions of butterflies, revealing his unique interest in the scientific study of insects as a source of inspiration for artistic creation. The use of pochoir as a printing technique, popular in France at the turn of the 20th century, was ideal for capturing the natural colors of butterflies. The illustrations of butterflies in this collection, as well as the abstract patterns featured at the end, were likely meant to inspire designs for textiles and wallpapers.