By Marc Fischer / Public Collectors
Chicago, IL: Public Collectors, 2024
Pages: 28
Dimensions: 10 in X 7 in
Cover: Paper
Binding: staple binding
Process: digital printing
Color: full color throughout
Edition size: 350
ISBN: none

Another drawing-focused publication from Public Collectors—this time dedicated to a young man's Botany and Zoology homework, circa 1931. From the back cover:

Johnnie Anderson was the father of a late relative of my spouse Jen Blair. I believe that he made these drawings as a student in 1931. He would have been 19 or 20 years old at the time, and was taking Botany and Zoology classes at University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. 

I uncovered these drawings while cleaning out the home and storage units of my spouse’s late aunt and uncle, which contained the belongings of other relatives that predeceased them. A binder containing these drawings—as well as numerous writings about the specimens featured—was found in a banker box, well-preserved and likely hidden from eyes and light for decades. 

Johnnie Anderson’s drawings are so meticulous that at first glance, I assumed they might have been printed classroom materials. Upon closer inspection I realized that they were hand drawn with great care and patience. In addition to these drawings, the binder contained a carefully mounted and neatly labeled frog skeleton (reproduced on the inside front cover). I have chosen to believe that these drawings were made from direct observation and not copied from other illustrations. 

There is so much I love about these drawings: their fine detail, the hypnotic rendering of textures, the commitment to close looking and clear communication, and the simple fact that all of this was accomplished with a pen and black ink on the thinnest sheets of hole-punched paper. If I was the kind of person that wanted a tattoo, a few of these drawings would be strong contenders for ink on my arms. 

I cannot confirm the scientific accuracy of these illustrations. Many of them are marked with “O.K.” and someone’s initials in the lower right-hand corner. I’m guessing this contribution came from a teacher. Johnnie Anderson went on to serve as clerk for the small town of Preston, Wisconsin for 29 years. I believe that he was also involved in farming. He died in Blair, Wisconsin in 1971 at the age of 60.

In designing this publication, I have used about half of the drawings I found, They are reproduced at their original scale but cropped to remove excess borders. It is a pleasure to publish these drawings, and I hope they inspire others to examine the natural world with similar attention and interest.