1992: Gies Pluim starts Heritage Prints
An art lover and former publisher, Gies devotes his later years to facsimiles of the great natural history books, faithful to the original in colour, tone and size.
About Heritage Prints
Facsimiles of natural history plates and views of Rome, made from the originals since 1992. Today the collection holds 2,825 prints by 15 artists.
Our history
More than thirty years of facsimiles, from a museum library in Haarlem to a gallery in Key West.
2005: A new standard in reproduction quality
Gies Pluim establishes a collaboration with Marcel Salome, master printer and lithographer at Re-Art Special Art Productions. As Heritage Prints’ dedicated reproduction specialist, Marcel combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative digital reproduction and printing technologies. This partnership elevates the facsimile editions to a new level of detail, colour accuracy and overall quality.
2008: The Audubon House, Key West
Heritage Prints becomes the official supplier of the Audubon House Gallery in Key West, Florida, the island Audubon visited in 1832.
1832: Audubon in Key West
In May 1832 John James Audubon sailed to Key West and on to the Dry Tortugas. In those weeks he painted the Great White Heron, plate 281 of The Birds of America; his watercolour is dated 26 May 1832. The Key West Dove, plate 167, carries the name of the island where he first saw it.
The house
The Audubon House was built around 1846 to 1849 by Captain John Geiger, the island’s first harbour pilot. Audubon never lived there: the house opened as a museum in 1960 and was named after him, in memory of his visit to the island.
2016: The family continues
Gies dies at the age of 87. His daughter Babette Pluim carries on his work.
2022: Reviving the art of hand-colouring
Heritage Prints begins a special collaboration with Jane Niebling, a specialist in the traditional art of hand-colouring historical prints. Using the same time-honoured techniques practised in the 18th and 19th centuries, she brings originally black-and-white engravings to life. This collaboration allows Heritage Prints to offer exclusive hand-coloured editions, including works by Karl Bodmer. Each print acquires its own unique and authentic character.
2024: Wilma and Marcel Salome
Wilma and Marcel Salome take over Heritage Prints from Babette, and keep making every print from the original.
What every print is
We believe you should be able to live with the great natural history books, not as cheap copies but as prints that stand next to the original. That is why every detail is checked against it.
From the original editions
Every print is made from an original plate, never from a reprint or a copy.
At the size of the original
Each sheet is printed at the size of the original plate, with its margins.
A limited edition
At most 250 of each plate, numbered and embossed, with a certificate of authenticity.
Paper that lasts
Acid-free white etching paper of 270 g/m² and archival inks that last more than 100 years under good conditions.
From the originals
We work with museums and private collectors who keep the original books, such as the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, home to one of the finest copies of Audubon’s The Birds of America. Because every print is made from an original, we can offer plates that no one else has.
How we photograph an original
Made in Almere
Every print is made in Almere, the Netherlands, by Re-Art Special Art Productions: fine art printers for 25 years, known worldwide, and our partner since 2005. From Almere it is shipped to collectors all over the world.
- Address
- Redactiestraat 13, 1321 NL Almere, the Netherlands
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@heritage.prints
Our favourite plates, new prints and the stories behind the originals.
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