Martin Gerlach (1846–1918), a prolific engraver and photographer, founded a publishing house and later moved to Vienna, where he launched influential children's books with contributions from artists like Klimt and Czeschka. One of his lesser-known works, Festons und Decorative Gruppen aus Pflanzen und Thieren (1893), is a beautifully printed design reference book aimed at artisans in fields like wallpaper and textile design.

The images, created using collotype printing, arrange natural elements with meticulous precision, making them look almost artificial — similar to Karl Blossfeldt’s botanical photography and evocative of Joseph Cornell’s surrealist boxes. Gerlach's framed compositions — full of orchids, crayfish, cockatoos, and more — feel like frozen fantastical worlds. They're intricate, baroque, and quietly alive, suggesting the flora and fauna might stir again in vivid color.

The final 1897 edition is held by the Rijksmuseum, and selections from it are now available for viewing.