Item PZ 9.2 Watercolour illustration - Pieris (Thyca) harpalyce, Arthur Bartholomew

Summary

Watercolour, pencil and ink illustration (D248) of the adults of the Imperial White Butterfly, Delias harpalyce, by Arthur Bartholomew, 25 July 1861. This work was commissioned by Frederick McCoy, the first Director of The National Museum of Victoria, for Plate 9 in 'The Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria; Figures and descriptions of the living species of all classes of the Victoria indigenous animals'. McCoy referred to this species as Pieris (Thyca) harpalyce.

Bartholomew's illustration forms part of the much larger Prodromus Collection. Many of the original illustrations and prints in the collection informed the production of The Prodromus, the first major publication of the National Museum of Victoria. Between 1878 and 1890, McCoy published his zoology 'Prodromus' as 20 parts in two volumes, with each part comprising 20 Plates. Unfortunately, almost 90 plates in the collection remain unpublished, and hundreds of illustrations were either not completed or not printed.

Description of Content

Imperial White Butterfly, Delias harpalyce (Donovan) by Arthur Bartholomew. Drawing, pencil, watercolour, ink and varnish on paper, 25 July 1861, 20cm x 10cm. Drawing for Plate 9 in The Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria by Frederick McCoy.