Arthur Smith (1916-1991)
Drawing overview
Pisaura mirabilis
The Arthur Smith Drawings Collection
Exhibition and publication details
References and further reading

Arthur Smith (1916-1991)

Arthur Smith was one of the leading scientific illustrators of the twentieth century. He was a great supporter of the idea of biologists and illustrators co-operating to ensure the accuracy of scientific drawings. A prolific illustrator, during his life he produced nearly 20,000 illustrations of insects and illustrated 56 periodical articles and several books.

Arthur Smith was born at Eastburn in Yorkshire, England, and as a boy became interested in natural history. At 15 years of age he won a scholarship to the Keighly School of Arts and Crafts and later went on to study at the Royal College of Art, London. Today he is best known for his considerable skill as an entomological artist, but his range of work was enormous and included landscapes, still lifes and portraits. His natural history work included vertebrates, minerals and precious stones.

Arthur Smith was based at the Natural History Museum from 1940 to 1973. It was not until 1960, however, that he became a permanent member of staff. He was probably the first, and last, insect illustrator to have full time employment in the Museum. Some of his most important scientific illustrations included work for W.S. Bristowe's book 'The World of Spiders' (1958) and F.M. Hull's 'Robber flies of the world' (1962).

Most of Smith's artwork consisted of detailed scientific line drawings. He developed a technique of using a combination of watercolour, coloured inks and coloured pencil to produce his drawings. His last major project was to illustrate the two-volume work, British Tortricoid Moths (1973-1979), for which he was a co-author with J. D. Bradley and W. G.Tremewan.

Drawing overview

This large-scale watercolour drawing was commissioned by the Natural History Museum in 1960 for use in the public galleries. It depicts the complex courtship behaviour of the common British spider (Pisaura mirabilis). The drawing is fascinating because of its large size and the dramatic subject matter.

Pisaura mirabilis

The spider Pisaura mirabilis is found in heather and low plants across most of Britain. Courtship takes place in May and begins with the male catching a fly, encircling it with thread and then, while holding the bundle searching for a female. When he finds one he presents the female with the fly as shown in the drawing.

Find out more about British Spiders.

The Arthur Smith Drawings Collection

The Natural History Museum also holds some exceptionally fine pencil and watercolour drawings by Arthur Smith produced for the publication British Tortricoid Moths (1973, 1979).

Exhibition and publication details

This drawing was reproduced as part of plate 10 in Bristowe, W.S. (1958) The World of Spiders. Collins: London. 304pp.

References and further reading

Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G. & Smith A.; with additional colour illustrations by Brian Hargreaves (1973) British Tortricoid Moths: Cochylidae and Tortricidae: Tortricinae. The Ray Society: London. 251pp.

Bradley, J. D., Tremewan, W. G. & Smith A. ; with additional colour illustrations by Brian Hargreaves (1979) British Tortricoid Moths: Tortricidae, Olethreutinae. BM(NH) for the Ray Society: London. 336pp.

Bristowe, W. S. (1958) The World of Spiders. The New Naturalist 38. Collins: London 304pp.

Hull, F. M. (1962) Robber Flies of the World: The Genera of the Family Asilidae. Bulletin of the Smithsonian Institution, no. 244, 907pp.

Roberts, M. (1985) The Spiders of Great Britain and Ireland, 3 volumes. Harley Books: Colchester.

Roberts, M. (1995) Collins Field Guide to the Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe. HarperCollins: London. 383pp.

Stalhandske, P. (2001) Nuptial gift in the spider Pisaura mirabilis maintained by sexual selection. Behavioural Ecology, vol. 12, pp.691-697.