'Victoria Regia or The Great Water Lily of America' 1854, with text by John Fisk Allen and six chromolithographs (some of the earliest printed in America) by William Sharp. Sharp used four separately inked stones to render the exquisite illustrations on elephant folio sheets.
The first image above comes from the Carter Museum - I couldn't decide which illustration was better. The others are all via the Spencer Art Museum at Kansas University* but are displayed, along with the text, at Victoria-Adventure. Their whole site is worth exploring, particularly the historical articles (halfway down) that give some indication as to the difficulties facing hopeful 19th century cultivators and the (understandable) awe in which the the Victoria lilies were held.
"It would not be extravagant to call the beauties of this plant unsurpassable. Like the gigantic idea its leaf-structure originated -- the Crystal Palace -- it stands among its class alone and unapproachable. Its flower has been compared to a colossal specimen of the night-blooming Cereus, (Cereus grandiflora.) In certain respects this comparison is just, as in the general appearance of the flower and its delightful fragrance; but when we proceed to examine each beauty separately, all comparison with any other flower must cease. It is not possible to select one property more than another, the which most to admire. It is everything to be wished for."
