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Percy Highley (1856-1929) Percy Highley was born in London. He became a natural history draughtsman and lithographer. From 1897 to 1917 Highley was commissioned by the Natural History Museum to produce a range of botanical illustrations for publications and the museum public galleries. These included drawings for Fawcett and Rendle's Flora of Jamaica (1910-1936) and Newton's Handbook of British Seaweeds (1931). Highley also contributed to articles published in the Journal of Botany and the Journal of the Linnean Society.
The drawing has been labelled by Highley, 'Flower of Datura sanguinea visited by Docimastes ensiferus'. The plant has since been identified as SOLANACEAE Brugmansia sanguinea, which originates from Peru. Highley has drawn this exotic plant with two beautiful hummingbirds in order to show the specialised pollination of the flowers by the birds.
The Percy Highley Drawings Collection The Natural History Museum holds a number of watercolours by Highley including whole plants, sections of flowers and drawings of micro-fungi. Most of these were originally drawn for inclusion in gallery displays at that time.
Exhibition and publication details It is believed that this drawing has not been publicly exhibited since the 1950s.
References and further reading Fawcett , W. & Rendle, A. B. (1910-1936) Flora of Jamaica: Containing Descriptions of Flowering Plants Known from the Island. 5 Volumes. British Museum (Natural History): London. Newton, L. (1931) A Handbook of the British Seaweeds.
British Museum (Natural History): London. 478pp.
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