Insect British Butterflies, Butterfly, H.N. Humphreys, Vanessa, Caterpillar, Chrysalis, British, Antique Print, metamorphosis

Plate 15. Vanessa C. Album (Comma Butterfly), V. Polychoros (Great Tortoise-shell B.) & V. Urticae (Small Tortoise-shell B.) with respective male, female, underside, Caterpillar & Chrysalis

Botany illustrated: As part of the integrity of illustration Humphreys includes the botanical varietal preferred by the respective species: Ribes rubrum (Red Currant), Ulmus campestris (the Elm), & Urtica dioica (common Stinging Nettle)

Genuine antique hand colored lithograph with applied gum arabic after British naturalist, illustrator and entomologist Henry Noel Humphreys (1810-1879)

Published originally by subscription 1841-49, with species character descriptions by J. O. Westwood, Secretary of the Entomological Society, a revised & corrected New Edition was published by William & Robert Chambers, London & Edinburgh in 1860.

Condition= Excellent. Supplied with copy of original butterfly descriptions.

Page size = 21.5 x 28.5 cm / 8.6 x 11.4 inch

British Museum & Henry Noel Humphreys

As a naturalist and entomologist Humphreys' was most particular that his illustrations layout the comprehensive life cycle transformation from caterpillars to butterflies by virtue of the chrysalis.  His method of visually explaining the idea of "metamorphosis" so impressed the British Museum curators that they adopted his meticulous display concept. "The study of natural history is the learning of the characters with which the wonderful story of nature is written; and 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, 1860