Arcana Entomologica

by John Obadiah Westwood

1845

Biography of the Artist

J.O.Westwood (1805 – 1893)

Westwood (1805-1893) was one of the most prominent entomologists of his era with rare artistic talent. 

He was born in Sheffield, England , from a modest working class background. He trained to be a lawyer instead he pursued his deep interest in entomology.

Westwood had a very close friendship with Frederick William Hope, that was a very important British intellectual and also  “father in Entomology" of Charles Darwin. Westwood and Hope shared a deep interest in entomology, collecting a wide selection of geographically arranged specimens.  Westwood was assiduous in purchasing even small collections which he recognised as being important: extremely rare and prized were the specimens of his Australian insects.

The collection was donated to Oxford, and today is one of the most important of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Westwood was very eclectic. He published – among other - “The Cabinet of Oriental Entomology; Being a Selection of Some of the Rarer and More Beautiful Species of Insects “(1848), “An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects”(1839), “British Moths and Their Transformations “,“Arcana Entomologica”(1845).

His works are always illustrated with extremely decorative entomological plates. He drew himself the richly painted scenes of insect and plant life, always artistically arranged. His illustrations– mostly depicting exotic species – are superbly detailed and enhance  the beauty of rare insects.

Description of the work.

Science proved enormously appealing to the burgeoning middle class in Victorian England. During the nineteenth century, museums, botanical gardens and other scientific exhibitions were created to educate and entertain the general public and to introduce the discoveries of science. Among the sciences, entomology proved an especially popular hobby. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the majority of scientists consisted of amateur scholars who observed and recorded everyday phenomena. These hobbyists often compiled vast private collections of specimens, which they or other scientists would then catalog. Later in the century, amateurs and trained scientists would band together to form scientific societies which served to provide a forum for discussion and debate of current observations and theories. J. O. Westwood belonged to more than twenty-five different international natural history societies by the end of his career. These scientific associations also served as a source of funding by providing awards or medals with monetary prizes and by funding teaching positions or examination posts. In many cases, the societies replaced the private patronage of earlier periods, in which a benefactor supported the amateur scientist; this enabled the scientist to flourish as a professional rather than merely as an amateur.

In many ways, Victorian culture shaped Westwood. Science enjoyed extensive coverage in the popular literature of the period. Scholars of the Victorian era have attributed this popularity to the rapid development of science and technology and the move from rural communities to cities. These changes led the public to romanticize nature and see plants and animals as exotic.

Arcana Entomologica, or Illustrations of New, Rare, and Interesting Insects, is an extraordinarily beautiful work on exotic insects and butterflies by John Obadiah Westwood, possibly his most important work.

The superb hand-coloured lithographed plates after drawings by the author, feature exotic and rare insects - most species from India & Australia - portrayed and artistically arranged upon exotic orchids and other exotic plants.  The colours are vivid with extremely bright hand coloring and the images are generally enhanced by Atabic gum. 

Each plate measure approximately 6 inches wide by 9 3/8 inches long and is generally accompanied by the relevant original descriptive text.

The condition of these prints is very good, on contemporary creamy paper that is a soft aged white. An excellent work, "famous to-day on account of its magnificent full-page colour plates".

All our prints are authentic hand colored antique prints, and the Westwood are about 150 years old & in remarkable condition.

We describe all items as accurately as possible with any condition exceptions noted. Please use your judgement to confirm our accuracy and take into consideration that unless otherwise stated, these items are used. Please make careful decisions before bidding and email us with any questions.

Ref. Curle, Journ. Soc. Bibl. Nat. Hist., 2:5. Smith, 1973. A History of Entomology.