Picturing science: Royal Society launches scientific illustrations 'print on ...

Sixteen botanical studies, figures of orchids presented as a single floral display. Plate 74 from the book Kunstformen der natur by Ernst Haeckel (Leipzig, Wien, Bibliographische Institut, 1899-1904). Original: lithograph (1899) by Adolf Giltsch/The Royal Society.

Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye.. it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.'

Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and printmaker (1863-1944)

Good news -- especially for university students seeking to decorate their rooms and fans of classic nature and scientific illustrations: the Royal Society announced that they just launched a ' print-on-demand ' service so the public can easily purchase high quality fine art prints from its library and archives. The Royal Society's online print shop provides visitors access to 2500 images, including portraits of famous scientists, microscopic observations, botanic studies and -- my favourite -- zoologic illustrations.

The ariel toucan (now classified as Ramphastos vitellinus ariel). Illustration from A monograph of the Ramphastidae, or family of toucans, by John Gould (London, 1834). Original: lithograph (1834). Artist: Elizabeth Gould/The Royal Society.

Okay, I lied: they're all my favourites. I love them all and in fact, I could barely choose which pictures to share with you here.

If you, like me, love art and science, or if you, like me, wish to decorate your dreary walls with some of the world's best classic scientific illustrations, then make haste to the Royal Society's new site and try -- I dare you -- just try to select only one or maybe two images that you'd love to live with. I've already found more than a dozen images that I want, and I've only started my tour through scientific pictorial history.

Figure 1 from 'On a new species of Rhinoceros found in the interior of Africa, the skull of which bears a close resemblance to that found in a fossil state in Siberia and other countries', by Everard Home, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol.112 (1822), pp.38-45. Watercolour on board (1821). Artist: William Clift/The Royal Society.

But more than just printing your favourite images on fine art paper, you can instead choose photographic paper, canvas, or acrylic prisms. And of course, we know that the lack of suitable frames is the main reason most art remains packed away after purchase, but this won't be a problem because you can select from a variety handmade wooden frames that come in an assortment of colours and sizes so when your art arrives in the mail, it will be ready-to-hang and enjoy.

Illustrations showing microscopic views of: stone quarried in Kettering, Northamptonshire (Fig. 1); the fibres in a piece of sponge (Fig. 2); a piece of seaweed (Fig. 3). Micrographia by Robert Hooke (London, 1665). Original: copperplate engraving (1665). Photograph: Robert Hooke/The Royal Society.

The Royal Society's print shop service is provided by Prodigi (formerly Magnolia Box), who already work with some of the world's finest institutions including the Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the British Library and Kew Gardens, to share their collections with the public.

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Disclaimer: no compensation was received by either GrrlScientist or the Guardian for this piece. All images appear here courtesy of the Royal Society.

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When she's not hanging around art galleries and museums, GrrlScientist can also be found here: Maniraptora. She sometimes lurks on social media: facebook, G+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and of course, she's quite active on twitter: @ GrrlScientist

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