Fern collecting was a popular pastime in 19th-century New Zealand. Fern fronds were collected, dried in a press and then mounted in albums. The beautiful cover of this album (1) was made from native New Zealand timbers by craftsman Anton Seuffert around 1875. The marquetry fern images on the front cover show that it was made to house a fern collection. The examples from the album are Lomaria filiformis (2), Trichomanes venosum (3) and Lycopodium volubile (4). This album was a ready-made collection – it was one of a number put together by Thomas Cranwell and Eric Craig for sale.