Collection by Sara Ost
State of America Print Series by Julian Montague
PrintCollection.com, an online purveyor of both original and historic reproduction prints and photographs, recently commissioned the State of America graphic print series by artist Julian Montague. The collection of official various symbols of the 50 United States is both weird and wonderful: There are the usual suspects one might expect (leaves, amphibia, fruits, birds, still more fruits, still more birds), but then there are a wasp, potato, shark teeth, and a trilobite, too. (That last would be Pennsylvania's.) And who knew Connecticut goes in for the mantis, while Iowa favors a catfish? Click through to see a selection of these bright, modern prints.
One of several amphibious showings, the Red Hills Salamandar, Alabama.
Fans of emerald, take note of the official gem of North Carolina.
Another gem, albeit a humbler one, the quartz on a poppy tomato background, Arkansas.
The big Apple.
Something on which everyone ought to be able to agree when it comes to Florida: the orange.
We weren't kidding about the European (also called Praying) mantis; Connecticut.
Shark teeth, Georgia.
That's not a Coho, Chum, Chinook, Sockeye, or King salmon. The state fish of Washington is, in fact, a Steelhead trout. (Though this particular trout is a sea-faring one, and is classed as a salmon.)
These colors are just lovely.
There's something just a little punk about this particular print: the Wild Blueberry, Maine.
The Eastern Bluebird of Missouri is one of several birds in the collection. This would be perfect in a child's room.
Another salamander, the Eastern Tiger, in the mix; Illinois.
The catfish (Channel; we think it's quite cool) and...
...The wasp. Make that the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. (No wonder it's New Mexico's official insect.)
If an iPod ad went serpentine.
A striking kernel matrix. Wisconsin's official grain, corn.
As promised, the trilobite. To see the entire collection, visit PrintCollection.