Anonymous
Seven Heliconius Butterflies from the Collection of Entomologist Charles Oberthür, 1889
Albumen print
8 x 5 1/4 inches; mount 12 x 9 1/2
With a pencil annotation verso.
With a pencil annotation verso.
Charles Oberthür was a French amateur entomologist and one of the most significant lepidopterists of the nineteenth century. Born in Rennes into a family of printers, Oberthür began collecting insects...
Charles Oberthür was a French amateur entomologist and one of the most significant lepidopterists of the nineteenth century.
Born in Rennes into a family of printers, Oberthür began collecting insects at nine years old and spent his life absorbing the collections of some of the greatest naturalists of his era. By the end of his life, the collection housed in his Rennes home comprised five million specimens in 15,000 glass-topped boxes; in 1916 it was considered the second-largest private entomological collection in the world. The photograph was likely produced by his father's printing house, one of France's leading establishments of its kind.
Born in Rennes into a family of printers, Oberthür began collecting insects at nine years old and spent his life absorbing the collections of some of the greatest naturalists of his era. By the end of his life, the collection housed in his Rennes home comprised five million specimens in 15,000 glass-topped boxes; in 1916 it was considered the second-largest private entomological collection in the world. The photograph was likely produced by his father's printing house, one of France's leading establishments of its kind.