Chō No Rinpun Tensha to Kenbikyō Kansatsu, by Miyazaki Kyoko, 1951

Each page of this unusual book has two butterfly prints cut out and pasted to it. Under magnification, it becomes clear that the prints were made with the actual butterfly wings.

Printing from natural objects, or nature printing, has been practiced since at least the early 1400’s. Most commonly seen are leaf prints, made by inking and printing leaves. Butterfly and moth prints are created by arranging the wings on a sheet of paper coated with gum arabic, a light adhesive. This is then run through a press, the pressure causing the wing scales to transfer to the paper. The body of the butterfly or moth is then painted or printed between the wings.