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Moses Harris (1730- c.1788)
Born in 1730, Moses Harris became interested in the study of insects (entomology) from an early age. He was encouraged by his uncle who was a member of the first organised society of entomologists in England, called the Society of the Aurelians. Members met in rented rooms in Change Alley, London. In 1748 a fierce fire destroyed the Society’s insect collection and books, the members were lucky to escape with their lives. Fourteen years later Moses Harris later became the Secretary of the second Society of Aurelians. Harris was an accomplished artist and exhibited framed drawings of insects at the Royal Academy in 1785. He also provided the illustrations and engravings for other authors including: Dru Drury’s (1725-1803) three volume work, Illustrations of Natural History (1770-82) and John Coakley Lettsom’s (1744-1815) The Naturalist's and Traveller's Companion (1772). In 1776, he published Natural System of Colours in which he developed the work of Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) further exploring the relationships of colour. However it is Harris’s entomological publications which rank as some of the outstanding works of the eighteenth century. In 1758 he started publication of his major work, The Aurelian; or Natural History of English Insects: namely moths and butterflies together with the plants on which they feed, which was completed in 1766. Later c.1767, he published An Essay Precedeing [sic] a Supplement to “The Aurelian” in which he proposed a new classification of butterflies and moths based on the arrangement of veins in the wings. Moses Harris died around 1788, leaving a wife and
at least one child, John Harris (1767-1832) who
was a noted watercolour painter and illustrator.
Silkworms and garden tiger moths The Chinese first domesticated silkworms about 5000 years ago. During Harris’ lifetime the silkworm was commercially reared in England in large numbers to produce silk thread for use in silk fabric. In this watercolour the eggs, larvae, mating adults and chrysalis (from which the silk thread is obtained) are all depicted. The garden tiger moth (Arctia caja) was a popular
moth with early collectors like Moses Harris, due
to the bright colouration of the adult. The long
haired caterpillar also shown in the drawing is
known as the 'woolly bear'.
The Moses Harris Drawings Collection This watercolour is one of 44 fine watercolour
drawings of British Lepidoptera by Moses Harris
depicting the life cycle of British butterflies
and moths. It is currently believed that Harris
intended to publish a new edition of The Aurelian
and produced this set of drawings to illustrate
this work (further research is being conducted to
confirm this).
Exhibition and publication details This drawing has not been on public display.
References and further reading Lisney, A.A. (1960). A Bibliography of British Lepidoptera 1608-1799. Chiswick Press: London. xviii, 315 pp. Mays, R. (2004) Moses Harris (1730-c.1788) Oxford
Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University
Press: Oxford. |
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