Deadly Nightshade — Antique Botanical Print

The Story in the Margin

Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) is a robust perennial of woodland and scrub across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, known for its dull purple, bell-shaped flowers and glossy black berries as tempting as they are lethal. Carl Linnaeus named the genus for Atropos, the Fate who cuts the thread of life, while the species name belladonna, Italian for 'beautiful lady,' recalls the Renaissance practice of using drops of its juice to dilate the pupils into a fashionably dramatic gaze. Long feared as a tool of poisoners and associated in folklore with witchcraft and the rites of Dionysus, the plant yields atropine and scopolamine, alkaloids first isolated in the 1830s that became foundational tools in medicine for dilating pupils and easing muscle spasms. Its dark beauty and reputation for danger made it a compelling — and cautionary — subject for the botanical artists who catalogued Europe's poisonous flora.

Materials & origin

• Material: 200 gsm gallery-grade, acid-free fine-art paper (FSC-certified).
• Print: Archival giclée, 12-colour printing, smooth matte finish for glare-free display.
• Artwork: Restored from a public-domain original; colour and detail digitally cleaned for large-format print.
• Origin: Made on demand and shipped from the print hub nearest you, cutting transit and waste.
• Framing: Sold unframed; ships rolled in a protective tube.