Background:

These hand-colored prints are from a guide to the shells of mollusks found in the seas surrounding the British Isles.  The prints are based on drawings by  George Brettingham Sowerby, son of James Sowerby, one of the premier British botanical artists in the late 1700s-early 1800s.  George was an accomplished artist as well, and his drawings reflect his detailed knowledge of conchology.