Background:

These hand-colored prints portray a variety of Butterflies native to the British Isles and are based on drawings by J. Westwood.  The species are portrayed in a natural setting featuring a common botanical theme,.

In selecting the Butterflies to portray in the prints, Westwood "illustrated species by means of specimens remarkable either from being gynandromorphous, or from exhibiting anomalous peculiarity".

As noted in the introduction, an objective of the series was "to be of great service to the entomological tyro, leaving him to examine the beautiful organizations of these creatures, instead of resting contented with securing fine specimens for his cabinet".