Dreamy 1851 cephalopod artwork by Jean Baptiste Vérany

These chromolithographs of various cephalopods by Jean Baptiste Vérany were created in 1851, and they rule. The gorgeous color and delicate technique behind these images is otherworldly to look at. Cephalopods are already alien-like on their own, and Vérany's depictions of them take this quality even further. I could lose track of time staring at each of these chromolithographs, getting lost in their intricacy. They're totally etheareal.

From Instagram:

"In these stunning chromolithographs from 1851, Jean Baptiste Vérany realizes his ambition — to accurately render "the suppleness of the flesh, the grace of the contours, the transparency and the coloring" of cephalopods. "