Tag Archives: Insects

1912: Butterflies

Posted on July 2, 2021 by corvusfugit

Odilon Redon: Evocation of Butterflies (ca. between 1910 and 1912)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1910's, 20th Century, Animals, Art, Butterflies, France, Insects, Odilon Redon, Painting | Leave a comment

1832: The Destructive Sphinx

Posted on August 22, 2020 by corvusfugit

Illustrations from The Book of Butterflies, Sphinxes and Moths; illustrated by one hundred and forty-four engravings, coloured after nature; in three volumes (Thomas Brown, 1832-4)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1830's, 19th Century, Animals, Books, Butterflies, Great Britain, Illustration, Insects, Moths, Thomas Brown | Leave a comment

1920: Bombyx

Posted on October 3, 2019 by corvusfugit

Jehan Frison: Le Bombyx (1920)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1920's, 20th Century, Animals, Art, Belgium, Insects, Jehan Frison, Moths, Painting | Leave a comment

1865: O Roaches!

Posted on September 14, 2019 by corvusfugit

A quite common superstitious practice, in order to rid a house of Cockroaches, is in vogue in our country at the present time. It is no other than to address these pests a written letter containing the following words, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1850's, 19th Century, Animals, Books, Cockroaches, Folktales, Insects, Letters, Stamps, USA | 2 Comments

1947: Iridescence

Posted on September 12, 2019 by corvusfugit

Andrey Avinoff: Iridescence (1925-1947) The entomologist Andrey Avinoff emigrated from Russia to the USA after the revolution and worked at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for 20 years, eventually becoming its director. He turned to painting only later in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1920's, 1940's, 20th Century, Andrey Avinoff, Animals, Art, Butterflies, Drawing, Flowers, Insects, LGBTQ, Painting, Russia, Soviet Union, USA | Leave a comment

15 mya: Oecophylla

Posted on May 25, 2019 by corvusfugit

Up to hundreds of weaver ants…line up side by side in militarily precise rows. They grip the edge of one leaf with the claws and pads of their hindlegs and the edge of the other with their jaws and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1990's, Africa, Animals, Ants, Architecture, Bert Hölldobler, Books, E. O. Wilson, Germany, Insects, Labor, Miocene epoch, Photography, USA | Leave a comment

1871: Wasp in a Wig

Posted on March 13, 2019 by corvusfugit

In 1870, illustrator John Tenniel wrote to Lewis Carroll suggesting that he delete an episode from Through the Looking-Glass: Don’t think me brutal, but I am bound to say that the ‘wasp’ chapter doesn’t interest me in the least, & … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1870's, 1970's, 19th Century, Alice, Animals, Art, Books, Great Britain, Illustration, Insects, John Tenniel, Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner, Poetry, Ralph Steadman, Wasps, Wigs | Leave a comment

340 AD: Patron Saint of Beekeepers

Posted on April 13, 2018 by corvusfugit

According to tradition, a swarm of bees settled on the face of the infant St. Ambrose, leaving a drop of honey and thus foretelling the saint’s eloquence—his honeyed tongue. He is the patron saint of bees and beekeepers. A certain … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 17th Century, 4th Century, Ambrose, Animals, Art, Bees, Books, Charles Butler, Christianity, France, Insects, Italy, Jacques I Laudin, Painting, Portraits, Religion, Saints | Leave a comment

206 BC: The Jade Suit of Liu Sheng

Posted on December 10, 2017 by corvusfugit

The jade burial suit of Liu Sheng, son of the emperor Jing Di who ruled over the principality of Zhongshan during the Han Dynasty (206 BC- 24 AD), was constructed in the belief that the stone’s magical connection to eternal life … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 3rd Century BC, China, Death, Han Dynasty, Insects, Magic, Mineralogy | Leave a comment

1932: The King of the Crickets

Posted on November 15, 2017 by corvusfugit

The King of the Crickets from The Luck of the Bean-Rows, A Fairy-Tale for Lucky Children. My edition is an anonymous translation from the French of Charles Nodier, illustrated by Claud Lovat Fraser; undated but inscribed “December 25, 1932.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1930's, 20th Century, Animals, Books, Charles Nodier, Children, Claud Lovat Fraser, Crickets, France, Great Britain, Insects | Leave a comment