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Frederick William Frohawk (1861-1946)
Frederick William Frohawk (1861-1946) Frederick William Frohawk was born in 1861 and following a private school education, worked as a natural history artist. Today he is best known for his illustrations of birds and insects. He was also an accomplished lithographer and wood engraver and was a popular artist for such magazines as The Field as he could easily turn his hand to illustrate a range of natural history subjects. Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937) appreciated Frohawk's talents and commissioned him for several pieces of work. Frohawk would usually try to portray his subjects as in life and so made frequent visits to London Zoo to illustrate the animals there. Frohawk was elected a Fellow of the Entomological
Society of London in 1891 and a Special Life Fellow
in 1926. He made a significant contribution to our
understanding of butterflies, for some 30 years
he set himself the task of illustrating every stage
in the life-cycle of each species of British butterfly.
The High brown fritillary (Argynnis adippe) is
found in open woodland, especially in clearings.
It is active in sunshine and is a strong flyer.
The caterpillar hibernates within its eggshell for
eight months before hatching in early spring, the
caterpillar then feeds on violet. The pupa is enclosed
in a tent of leaves and hatches after three to four
weeks between June and August. The butterfly has never been found in Scotland
or Ireland. There are some colonies in England and
Wales. Due to loss of its habitat, the species has
declined in Britain over recent years and is now
scarce. Click
here for more information.
The Frederick Frohawk Drawings Collection Frohawk was employed by the Natural History Museum
to illustrate the life histories of British butterflies.
This drawing is from a set of 40 watercolours, commissioned
by The Natural History Museum in 1923 and issued
as a set of postcards.
Exhibition and publication details Apart from the postcard series, this drawing has
not been on public display.
References and further reading Chatfield, J. (1987) F.W. Frohawk, His Life and Work. Crowood Press: Marlborough, Wilts. 184pp.
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