Watercolors of Birds and Insects
Content Description
This collection is composed of 20 watercolor plates, all which depict various birds except one of insects. The watercolors do not have any artist signatures, but they are distinctly similar to the artwork in The Naturalist’s Library, a series of books edited by William Jardine (1800-1874) and illustrated by Charles Hamilton Smith (1776-1859) and James Hope Stewart (1791-1863). Minor differences between the plates include the Archives’ plates having a background in color versus the printed book plates not having a colored background. It is unclear if one of both of the illustrators created these plates or if these plates are done as a study by an unknown artist.
Dates
- circa 1833-1866
Conditions Governing Access
As a preservation measure, researchers will be provided digital copies as the paper is fragile
Conditions Governing Use
Materials are in the public domain.
Biographical / Historical
William Jardine (1800-1874) was a naturalist and an editor of the natural history books, The Naturalist's Library.
Charles Hamilton Smith (1776-1859) was a naturalist and an illustrator of The Naturalist's Library.
James Hope Stewart (1791-1863) was an illustrator of The Naturalist's Library, and created 545 plates of mammals, birds, fish, and insects for it.
Charles Henry Taylor, Jr. (1867-1941) was a life member of the Boston Society of Natural History and served as its president from 1927-1935. Taylor was an extensive book and manuscript collector who wrote about American lithography. He was also a member of the American Antiquarian Society and several other groups in Greater Boston area. Read more about Taylor at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3110844"
Extent
.21 Linear Feet (20 of drawings measuring 9 x 6.5 inches)
Language of Materials
English
Latin
Custodial History
Gifted to the Boston Society of Natural History in 1922 by Charles H. Taylor, Jr.; provenance before 1922 is unknown.
Condition Description
Overall condition: good, stable. Special rehousing needs: Rehouse to provide additional support.
Processing Information
Processed by Wren Livesay (Archives Arts Intern) and Brittany Contratto, July 2023; These Illustrations were found in Museum archives in 2023. After some research, it became clear that many of the plates matched those created by William Jardine for his series of books titled "The Naturalist's Library." However, there are apparent differences between those donated by Mr. Taylor and Jardine's. Their potential relationship is yet to be determined. In pursuit of closing this gap, information was pulled from the Bulletin of the BSNH during applicable years as well as from the Acquisition history. It seems that the birds featured in this collection may not be only from Europe, as their current title suggests, but from Asia, Australia and the Americas as well. No further information on the collection's provenance has been located. The current level of processing was completed in 2023 by Wren Livesay.
- Title
- Watercolors of Birds and Insects Finding Aid
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Wren Livesay (Archives Intern)
- Date
- July 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Edition statement
- First Edition
Repository Details
Part of the Museum of Science, Boston Archives Repository