Background:

These unique hand-colored prints are from British Entomology, a series of 770 plates by John Curtis illustrating insects native to the British Isles.  Curtis, best known for his botanical illustrations in Curtis's Botanical Magazine (no relation to the publisher), was also an avid student of entomology.  In these prints he combines both interests by accurately and beautifully portraying insects in a botanical setting.  The prints featured on this page include specimens of  Beetles (Order Coleoptera) collected both by Curtis and others.

Together with the work of Edward Donovan, this series represents some of the best of British entomology artistry of the late 1700s-early 1800s.