Chrysophanus Chrysis, Chrysophanus Phlaeas. Copper Butterflies antique print c1860

by Humphreys, H.N.

Delightful Purple-edged Copper Butterflies & Common Copper Butterflies.
Chrysophanus Chrysis (Purple-edged Butterfly) male, female, female underside. Chrysophanus Phlaeas (Common Copper Butterfly, underside, Caterpillar, Chrysalis - on host plant, Rumex acetosella (Sorrel).

Original  hand-coloured lithograph arranged and illustrated by Henry Noel Humphreys (1810-1879) with characters and descriptions by John Obadiah Westwood (1805-1893), F.L.S. and secretary of the Entomological Society, for British Butterflies and their Transformations published in London c1860.

Humphreys was a British naturalist, entomologist and illustrator. His presentation of butterflies with caterpillar and chrysalis, impressed curators at the British Museum, who adopted this method of illustrating the transformation lifecycle of insects. Humphreys wrote, “The study of natural history... 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.”

Very pretty lithograph. Page size is 285 x 210mm (11.25 x 8.25 inches). Paper faintly rubbed at right.