Botanical Prints #1 | Botanical Prints #2 | Botanical Prints #3 | Botanical Prints #4 | Botanical Prints #5 | Butterfly Prints #1
Captain Thomas Brown (1785-1862), was a British naturalist born in Perth, Scotland and was educated at the Edinburgh High School. After joining the Forfar and Kineardine Militia at the age of twenty, he was raised to rank of Captain in 1811. While quartered in Manchester, he became interested in nature. He purchased the Fifeshire flax mill after his regiment was disbanded. The mill burned down before he had the opportunity to insure it. Also a malacologist (studying mollusks), he began to write books about nature to earn a living. For twenty-two years beginning in 1840, he was curator of the Manchester Museum. Additionally, he became a fellow of the Linnean Society, a member of the Wernerian, Kirwanian, and Phrenological Societies. Of the several natural history books he wrote, some dealt with conchology (studying the shells of mollusks). There was a shell named after him called Zebina browniana.
Plate XIV, Papilio anchises. The Anchises Butterfly. The whole upper surface of the wings, as well as the body is black. The posterior margin of both upper and under wings is considerably indented with a row of white semilunar interrupted spots along the margin of the upper wings, and a white continuous narrow border on the lower ones. On each of the upper wings is a patch of pure white and the underwings each have six oblong-oval upright spots of crimson. Two small white dots are on each wing, parallel to the crimson spots on the internal margin. The breadth of the butterfly is five inches and three quarters when the wings are extended. It is a native of Surinam.
This particular plate is an original hand-coloured engraving from "The Book of Butterfies, Sphinges, and Moths" by Captain Thomas Brown, Volume One (1834). This bright, vividly coloured plate measures approximately 4 X 6.5 inches. It is very clean for the age, with only three very small dark spots that are very near the page edges and will not interfere with the frameable area. The engraved portion could be matted and/or framed to an area 3 .5 inches square, or larger to include the plate number and name of butterfly. The corresponding descriptive text page is included with the purchase of this fine engraving.