Francis Sansom

Francis Sansom was an active printmaker and illustrator whose documented professional output is concentrated in a brief period between 1805 and 1806. His practice centered on detailed botanical illustration, executed for early 19th-century scientific publications.

Sansom’s primary contribution documented in institutional holdings consists of plates created for The Botanical Magazine or Flower Garden Displayed. Seven Francis Sansom prints are represented in major collections, including the holdings of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The surviving works demonstrate the precise, technical skill required for scientific illustration of the period. Notable examples include Plate 883, The Botanical Magazine or Flower Garden Displayed: Plate 883, Euphorbia Petiolaris. Long -Stalked Spurge, and Plate 933, Protea mucronifolia. Dagger-Leaved Protea. Other documented pieces, such as Symphyum Asperrim. Prickley Comfrey and Phytolacca Decandra. Virginian Poke, further confirm his role in producing high-quality prints essential for the propagation of botanical knowledge. Due to their age and inclusion in historic publications, many of these illustrations are today found in the public domain as downloadable artwork.