Robert Furber (1674-1756) was a painter, author and horticulturalist who came to fame because of his seed catalogue, which marked the first in England. His love for plants and a garden he created saw him become a member of "English Society of Gardners," which was a 1724 group formed with the objective of naming newly discovered plants. His 1730 book Twelve Months of Flowers detailed plants and seeds in the form of a catalogue that featured over 400 different plants. The book was so successful that several other pirated versions were released and printed besides Furber’s original. The book was a collaboration of Furber and two other individuals who brought in their expertise from different fields; the two are engraver Henry Fletcher and artist Pieter Casteels. Although the catalogue was released for commercial purposes, Furber also used it to showcase his nursery and the plants therein. The plates made for the books were featured in Fog's Weekly Journal and form some of the earliest and largest collections of colored plates for printmaking.
In 1732, Furber created Twelve Months of Fruit, a book similar to his flowers book, although this one featured 364 different fruits. He also had another book in the same year called The Flower Garden Displayed. This book was broad based and meant for unspecified audience. Furber’s works have been reproduced in different forms and are sold through different galleries and shows. Moreover, his works form some of the earliest representation of seed, fruit and plant naming being used today.
