The Charles M. Carton Print Collection consists of American and European Antiquarian and Natural History prints. It includes botanical prints, nature prints, ornithological prints, architectural prints, satirical prints, and miscellaneous loose prints from the 17th to 19th century with several interesting 20th century images.

The science of natural history emerged during the Renaissance as the study of nature shifted from medicinal and practical concerns to the description and classification of life forms. Because of their ability to represent plants and animals in vivid detail, artists were hired by naturalists to illustrate their publications. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Albrect Durer took such an avid interest in the depiction of the natural world that they qualify as naturalists in their own right. The same can be said of many of the later artists included in this collection: G.D. Ehret, John M. Gould, Pierre-Joseph Redoute, and Abraham Munting.

Copyright has not been assigned to the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Collection is open for research.