The Victorians had a love affair with nature. Thanks to the Industrial Revolution, middle class society had leisure to develop hobbies. Poets had long celebrated the beauties of the natural world. Darwin revolutionized scientific thought about it. And with a sudden addition of time and money, amateur botanists, entomologists, and bird-watchers sprang up like wildflowers to study the wonders of creation for themselves.
Victorian Entomology: Butterflies
Henry Humphreys, a Victorian naturalist and illustrator, compiled a detailed butterfly guide in 1841. He encouraged his fellow Victorians to develop a keen understanding of natural history. He equated nature study with learning the characters (alphabet) in which the world was written. In his opinion, those who lacked understanding of nature were pitiably illiterate.
His illustrated work, and that of other entomologists after him, like William Kirby, soon had amateur artists and nature lovers roaming the fields and woods of Britain to record their own findings.
Methods of Entomology in the Victorian Age
One of the most important tools for nature study in the 19th century was a blank book. This volume was used for sketching and describing the habits and appearance of the nature study subject. When Victorians started cataloging butterflies, they soon developed methods for preserving the beautiful specimens for later study.
First the collector would catch the butterfly with a delicate net. Then he would give the insect a quick and painless death with a drop of laudanum on the head. This opiate caused the butterfly to remain flexible so the wings could be opened. Then the collector could mount his specimen to a board with a pin. Next he would endeavor to sketch it as accurately as possible with the correct shade of color and attention to detail. Finally he would place his specimen in a protected place, perhaps under glass in the library, to preserve its brittle beauty.
Some naturalists collected the caterpillar and made detailed observations of the entire metamorphic process.
Famous entomologists include William Kirby, William Spence, Thomas Say, and Jean-Henri Fabre.
Importance of Nature Reflected in Victorian Literature
The deep fascination with nature appears in period literature. From Keats to artist John Ruskin, studying the natural world helped shape science, art, and religion in the 19th century. A few quotes will demonstrate the importance of nature in the Victorian mind.
- He [Roger] was so great a lover of nature that, without any thought, but habitually, he always avoided treading unnecessarily on any plant; who knew what long-sought growth or insect might develop itself in what now appeared but insignificant? (Elizabeth Gaskell)
- Some shape of beauty moves away the pall from our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon, trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon for simple sheep…. (John Keats)
- Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God. (Elizabeth Browning)
Resources for Current Entomologists
Although butterfly collecting was one of the most appealing aspects of nature study to the amateur naturalist, many Victorians explored botany and ornithology with equal enthusiasm. It is largely due to the efforts of Victorian naturalists that the subject of natural history is now so thoroughly developed. Yet with technology to measure the depth of every ocean bed and zoos to place the exotic animals of the world within reach, it sometimes appears that the 21st century world has lost the curiosity and wonder that animated our predecessors.
Those still interested in the marvels of the insect world can find helpful resources at the British Natural History Museum or the Iowa State Entomology Index of Internet Resources.
Sources
Barbara T. Gates. INTRODUCTION: WHY VICTORIAN NATURAL HISTORY?. Victorian Literature and Culture, 35, pp 539-549 (2007). Accessed Online 04-07-10.
Henry Noel Humphreys. British Butterflies and their Transformations. London: 1841.
Josanna Simpson - Josanna Simpson, who holds a BA in Literature, is an aspiring novelist in her late twenties with a passion for British literature and the ...
