I’m hoping this vintage frog lifecycle drawing will help someone out with their homework. I’ve not seen a drawing as nice as this one where it shows the entire lifecycle from egg to “perfect frog” before.
I can’t quite make out the artist’s signature but I know from the book where I found this frog drawing that it is one of three French artists known for their work with wildlife. They are Albin Mesnel (1830-1875), Alphonse de Neuville (1835-1885), Édouard Riou (1833-1900). Based on their dates of death and the fact that Reptiles and Birds: A Popular Account of Their Various Orders, With a Description of the Habits and Economy of the Most Interesting was published in 1870; I think it is safe to say that this drawing is fully in the public domain everywhere.
The description of this frog lifecycle drawing was:
1. Egg of the Frog. 2. The Egg fecundated, and surrounded by its visicule. 3. First state of the Tadpole. 4. Appearance of the breathing gills. 5. Their development. 6. Formation of the hind feet. 7. Formation of the fore feet, and decay of the gills. 8. Development of the lungs, and reduction of the tail. 9. The perfect Frog.
If you use this frog drawing, you might want to clean up the numbers a bit. But, I thought they looked so wonderfully vintage, that I left the originals. That way you can decide whether to use the ones that accompanied the original engraving or add some that are more easily readable.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
