Humphreys Butterflies lifecycle through caterpillar and chrysalis, c1849.

by Humphreys, H.N.

Antique print of Transformation of Butterflies by Humphreys.

Insects. 1.Eucloe Cardamines (Orange-tip Butterfly)-m. 2.-f. 3-f. underside. 4. Caterpillar, 5. Chrysalis. 6. Pieris Daplidice (Bath-white Butterfly-m. 7-f. 8.m underside. 9.Caterpillar, 10.Chrysalis. 11.Leptoria Candida (Wood-white Butterfly), 12.Caterpillar. 13 Chrysalis.
Flora. 14.Reseda Omtea (Wild Mignonette), 15. Cardamine Pratensis (Ladies' Smock), 16.Lathyrus pratensis (Meadow Vetchling).

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 c1849.

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 lovely engravings surely echo 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.”

This very pretty lithograph is currently mounted between antique-white ragmat conservation matboard, and covered with cellophane for protection and presentation. Page size is 285 x 210mm (11.25 x 8.25 inches). External size for frame is 380 x 320mm (15 x 12.5 inches).