John L. Petrie’s The Rocky Mountain Whitefish, Coregonus williamsoni (1898) is a refined Victorian zoological illustration created for The Fishes of North America, a landmark late-19th-century compendium that joined science with the aesthetics of fine art. Painted from life and translated into print through painstaking, multi-stone chromolithography, Petrie’s plate exemplifies Naturalism’s pursuit of truth to nature: a cool-eyed, careful observation that still captures the living shimmer of a freshwater fish. The result is both scientific record and visually elegant celebration—an image shaped by the era’s enthusiasm for cataloguing North American wildlife with clarity, beauty, and precision.

Offered by The Unique Maps Co. as a high-quality fine art print, this piece is available on acid-free archival paper or artist’s cotton canvas, in a curated range of sizes to suit intimate studies or statement walls. Professional framing options, museum-grade mats, and tailored border widths ensure a gallery-level finish. Personalization is welcome: add a dedication, a custom title plate, or other small enhancements to create a one-of-a-kind gift or heirloom.

About the artist: John L. Petrie worked within the tradition of late-19th-century natural history art, contributing to an ambitious publishing project that demanded both anatomical accuracy and painterly sensitivity. Though details of his biography are less widely known today, Petrie’s plates stand out for their crisp drawing, measured color, and subtle modeling—qualities that allowed chromolithographers to reproduce lifelike effects with remarkable fidelity. His work neatly bridges field science and studio practice, distilling living movement into a calm, enduring image.

About the subject: the Rocky Mountain whitefish (Coregonus williamsoni) is a member of the salmon family native to cold, clear lakes and rivers of the Rocky Mountain region. In the Victorian period, species like this drew special interest from anglers, naturalists, and museum curators eager to understand the continent’s diverse freshwater ecosystems. Here, Petrie emphasizes diagnostic details—from the streamlined body and subtly arched back to the delicate fin rays—providing a portrait that is educational as well as beautiful.

Color, style, and why this print endures: Petrie’s palette blends olive-greens and warm yellow-golds over a soft, beige-leaning ground, suggesting the aqueous light of a still pool. Fine, evenly spaced strokes articulate the scale pattern, while gentle tonal shifts along the flanks evoke iridescence and motion. The composition is spare and serene: the fish floats laterally in a luminous field, inviting close study without visual clutter. In interiors, the restrained greens and sunlit golds pair easily with natural wood, linen, leather, and stone, making the print equally at home in a modern study, a cabin retreat, or a coastal-influenced living room.

This timeless natural history plate makes a thoughtful gift for anglers, biologists, and art lovers alike—perfect for birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, housewarmings, or to welcome home someone returning from travels in the Rockies.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 36x20in (90x50cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.