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Delightful antique print of Butterflies, Caterpillars, Chrysalises, Plants. c1849.

Delightful antique print of Butterflies, Caterpillars, Chrysalises, Plants. c1849.

by Humphreys, H.N.

Antique Butterflies lithograph c1860 by Henry Noel Humphreys.
Insects. 1. Meliaea Artemis (Glanville Fritillary Butterfly), 2. under-side, 3. Caterpillar, 4. Chrysalis, 5. Melitaea Artemis (greasy Fritillary Butterfly), 6. underside, 7. Caterpillar, 8. Chrysalis, 9. Melitaea Athalia (pearl-bordered Melitaea Butterfly), 10. under, 11. Caterpillar, 12. Chrysalis, 13. Melitaea Pyronia (Athalia), 14. under-side. Plants. 15. Veronica Chamaedrys (Speedwell), 18. Scabiosa succisa (Devil’s-bit Seabious), 17. Calluna vulgaris (Heath), 18. Plantago lanceolata (Ribwort).

Original hand-coloured lithograph arranged and illustrated by H.N. Humphreys Esq., with characters and descriptions by J. O. Westwood, Esq. F.L.S. (secretary of the Entomological Society), for British Butterflies and their Transformations published in London c1860.

Humphreys (1810-1879), was a British naturalist, entomologist, illustrator - and numismatist. His presentation of the butterflies with caterpillar and chrysalis, impressed curators at the British Museum, who adopted this method of illustrating the transformation lifecycle of insects. Humphreys' artwork echos the exquisite medieval manuscripts he studied in Italy when a young man. He wrote: “The study of natural history is the learning of the characters with which the wonderful story of nature is written.. cannot conceive a more pleasing and natural introduction to its general study than entomology, of which I think the division of Lepidoptera.. the most easy and attractive section.  H. N. Humphreys, Esq.”

Size approx. 285 x 210mm (11.25 x 8.25 inches). Slight rub at right of page and top left corner of page slightly bent.

Stock Number: apHNH8Price: $90.00

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