Harvesting papyrus in Ancient Egypt. This plant, a wetland sedge found along the Nile, can grow to heights of several metres. Its pith was used as early as the 3rd millennium BC by the Ancient Egyptians to produce a paper-like material on which to write. Pyramids are seen in the background. This artwork is from a series of illustrated French encyclopedia volumes, published by the Epinal printing firm in the late 19th and early 20th century. The series was called 'Serie encyclopedique des lecons de choses illustrees' (Encyclopedic series of object lessons illustrated), and this example is from a volume published in around 1900.