Introducing Atelier Editions
Atelier Editions represents a new chapter in the Leslie Nicole Archive—one shaped by years of experience restoring vintage artwork and an evolving understanding of what today's designers truly need.
After years of restoring vintage artwork and observing how designers transformed historical artwork into beautiful modern creations, I began searching differently. Rather than collecting broadly, I intentionally sought exceptional original source material with outstanding design potential and contemporary creative applications in mind. My goal was to build collections that combine remarkable historical artwork with the quality, craftsmanship, and generous file sizes creative professionals need to bring their own visions to life.
Thoughtfully Sourced
Every Atelier Edition begins long before the restoration process.
Over several years, I devoted countless hours to researching, acquiring, and building a carefully curated library of exceptional original vintage artwork. Rather than simply collecting beautiful pieces, I searched for artwork with lasting creative potential—illustrations, botanical studies, decorative designs, and natural history subjects that could inspire today's makers, artists, surface designers, and licensors.
Each collection is selected not only for its historical beauty, but for its ability to become something new.
Restored with Care
Each original is professionally scanned and meticulously restored using techniques I've refined over more than fifteen years creating digital resources for artists and designers.
My background as a professional hand-colorist, photographer, and graphic designer has shaped every step of my restoration process. I work to preserve the character of the original artwork while carefully repairing age-related damage, enhancing clarity, and preparing each image for modern creative workflows.
Many Atelier Editions are captured at 1200 PPI, preserving extraordinary detail and providing generous file sizes suitable for everything from stationery and fabric design to large-format applications.
Designed for Creative Flexibility
Designers rarely need just one version of an image.
Whenever it adds creative value, I include thoughtfully prepared variations, extracted elements, overlays, and coordinating resources that make the artwork easier to adapt across a wide variety of projects.
Whether you're designing wallpaper, fabric, greeting cards, packaging, journals, branding, home décor, or licensing artwork, Atelier Editions is created to give you both exceptional historical source material and the flexibility to make it uniquely your own.
Beautiful Botanical Throw Pillow using the original color illustrations from Flore des Dames and Vintage Scenic Butterflies.
This example shows the Black & White Transparent PNG Versions of the Same Illustrations. A different, but equally effective result.
A Growing Collection
The Atelier Editions library represents years of intentional collecting, careful research, and ongoing restoration.
Collections are released as they are completed, each meeting the same standards of thoughtful curation, exceptional quality, and creative versatility that define the series.
Current Atelier Editions include botanicals, birds, rabbits, butterflies, and other exceptional historical artwork chosen for its enduring design potential, with many more collections already in development.
I'm delighted to share this growing archive with you and can't wait to see the beautiful work you create.
A Little Behind the Scenes...
Behind the Scenes: How Pinterest Changed My Collection
Pinterest became my daily addiction—er, research library.
I spent countless hours studying how designers and surface pattern artists were breathing new life into vintage artwork. The more I looked, the more I began to recognize what made certain pieces work so beautifully in modern design.
That changed the way I collected.
Instead of buying vintage artwork simply because it was beautiful or unusual, I began searching for exceptional original source material with outstanding design potential and contemporary creative applications in mind.
Many evenings ended with me happily disappearing down the rabbit hole of eBay, French antiquarian booksellers, estate sales, and obscure online auctions, searching for the next remarkable discovery. When a package finally arrived, the real work began—carefully scanning each piece, restoring centuries of wear, and preserving every detail so today's creatives could begin their own work with exceptional source material.
Looking back, those countless hours of "research" shaped Atelier Editions as much as any Photoshop technique ever did.
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