Item LIB 70102 Rare Book - Alexander Walker Scott, 'Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations', London : John van Voorst ; Sydney : Printed by order of the Trustees, 1864-1898

Summary

Full title: 'Australian lepidoptera and their transformations, drawn from the life by Harriet and Helena Scott ; with descriptions, general and systematics, by A.W. Scott.'

'Australian lepidoptera and their transformations' (1864-1898) is the product of extensive research into Australian moths and butterflies by Alexander Walker Scott (1800-1883) and several of his family members, most notably Harriet Scott (1830-1907) and Helena Forde (1832-1910). Research towards 'Australian lepidoptera and their transformations' mainly centred on Ash Island in the Hunter River near Newcastle NSW, where the family lived from 1846 to 1866.

English lawyer, grazier and entomologist Alexander Walker Scott, known as Walker Scott, voyaged to Australia in 1827, 1829 and 1831 before migrating permanently with his mother and sister in 1831. He met Harriet Calcott in 1829 and their daughters Harriet and Helena, known as the Scott sisters, were born in 1830 and 1832 respectively. The Scott sisters' early childhood was spent in Sydney, where they were exposed to science and culture through their family connections. They had informal drawing lessons from the artist Conrad Martens, which influenced the landscape style they later used in the background of their scientific illustration.

The family moved to Ash Island in 1846 when Scott and Harriet Calcott married. Here the Scott sisters were inspired by the rich biodiversity on Ash Island, developing a keen interest in lepidoptera. They cultivated their powers of scientific observation and artistic capabilities, supported by their father, who passed on his artistic training and introduced them to scientific circles in Sydney.

Alexander Scott had started a project to record Australian moths and butterflies in 1838 when Harriet and Helen were children. Initially he was assisted by Harriet and Helena's older sister Frances Stirling, however her involvement ceased after she married. He developed an index of Australian lepidoptera from his notebooks in 1844 and hatched an idea to publish a series of books that would describe all known species of lepidoptera with illustrations of every life stage. Although there was already some literature on Australian lepidoptera, at this time scientific descriptions were mainly published in European journals, and there was still no comprehensive publication on Australian insects. Scott wanted to figure the insects' life-size, in a large royal quarto format.

In the 1840s 14-year-old Harriet and 12-year-old Helena began to assist him, first making reference copies of John Lewin's 'Natural History of the Lepidopterous Insects of New South Wales' (1805) and Edward Donovan's 'An epitome of the natural history of the insects of New Holland' (1805). They went on to conduct field research, raising and observing insects, collecting, preserving and pinning moths and butterflies. Importantly, they began to illustrate their specimens, sometimes under a magnifying glass. The drawings needed to be completed quickly as butterflies and moths soon lose their vibrant colours after death.

The Scott sisters conducted research for 'Australian Lepidoptera and their Transformations' in 1848-49 and completed most of the original artworks between 1849 and 1851. Scott searched in vain for a publisher throughout the 1850s, dispatching the manuscript and illustrations to John Gray at the British Museum in 1851. This did not eventuate, and eventually, the material was returned to Australia in 1858. Scott decided to publish the work himself, and printing began in 1863. The first part was published in 1864 and the second and third parts were published in 1865.

The Scott sisters completed the majority of the lithography, while the hand colouring was done in London by unknown female colourists who used the Scott sisters' original artwork to guide them. The text is by Scott, based on his research in the 1830s and 40s but also informed by the notes and observations made by the Scott sisters in the late 1840s while they prepared the illustrations. By the 1860s Alexander Walker Scott had published journal articles that included new species descriptions and was well established in local natural history circles. The work catered to a scientific and popular audience, with text that included classification, description and morphology (in Latin and then English), with more general commentary following.

The book was popular in style, but reasonably expensive to purchase, due to its large format. The first three parts sold for one pound and one shilling, while the final four parts sold for 15 shillings. Several costly decisions throughout the production of the book probably contributed to Scott later going bankrupt. These included outsourcing the hand-colouring to London and the larger size to accommodate life-size insects. After the first three parts had been published, work on the project stalled as financial troubles ensued. Colouring was stopped and the remainder of the printed, uncoloured plates along with the text were put into storage.

Of the planned edition of 500 only 200 copies were printed. Most coloured copies were sold in London, but 25 sets were shipped back to Sydney for sale by subscription locally. The subscriber list was quickly full.

The family was forced to leave Ash Island in the 1866 due to hardship, including the death of Harriet Calcott and Alexander Scott's bankruptcy, occurring that same year. Harriet and Helena were increasingly forced to undertake commercial work, for instance Harriet undertook the botanical illustrations for the 1879, 1884 and 1886 editions of the Railway Guide to New South Wales.

Helena sold the family's lepidoptera collection and archive to the Australian Museum through old family friend Edward Ramsay. She also eventually negotiated to publish a second volume of 'Australian Lepidoptera': four parts containing 17 coloured plates, with an index that formed the fifth part. Helena was responsible for the production and managed the hand-colouring. Most plates were already printed in 1864, however one additional plate was printed. The text was compiled from Walker Scott's manuscripts with updated scientific knowledge added by Helena and Assistant Entomologist Arthur Sidney Olliff. Some colouring was done locally, while most of it was undertaken in London. The publication was aimed at collectors, but was also sold to public libraries in Australia and Europe.

Physical Description

Blue cloth bound volume measuring 44 cm high. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are bound together with original wrappers from each part. Vol. 1 consists of three parts with 30 pages of letterpress and nine plates and Vol. 2 consists of five parts with 36 pages of letterpress and 12 coloured plates.

Significance

'Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations' is significant as an early example of women's contribution to 19th century Australian science. The Scott sisters are thought to be the first professional female scientific artists in Australia, and they made their reputation with the beautiful and detailed illustrations that they created for 'Australian Lepidoptera and their transformations'.

Although best remembered for their entomological work, they also illustrated plants, mammals, shells and reptiles, including illustrations for Alexander Walker Scott's 'Mammalia, Recent and Extinct' (1873), J. C. Cox's 'Monographs of Australian Land Shells' (1868) and Gerard Krefft's 'Snakes of Australia' (1869) and 'Mammals of Australia' (1871). They also undertook commercial work, designing Australia's first Christmas cards in 1878-79.