James Sowerby

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James Sowerby; Painting by Thomas Heaphy (1816)

James Sowerby (born March 21, 1757 in London , † October 25, 1822 in Lambeth , London) was a British naturalist , zoologist and painter. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Sowerby ".

Live and act

Sowerby was the son of the engraver John Sowerby and his wife Arabella Goodreed. In 1771, at the age of 14, he joined the studio of the marine painter Richard Wright (1735–1775?) As an apprentice . When he suffered a stroke after a short time, Sowerby switched to William Hodges .

On December 1, 1777 Sowerby began at the Royal Academy of Arts in London to study art with a focus on miniature painting. It was precisely these skills that struck William Curtis , who immediately hired him as an illustrator for his Flora Londonensis . Working with Curtis, Sowerby also made the acquaintance of botanists Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle and William Withering , for whom he later also worked. Through his fellow student Robert de Carle in Norwich Sowerby came into contact with natural scientists such as James Edward Smith and Dawson Turner (1775-1858). From this meeting in the years 1790 to 1814 the English Botany , which is known today as "Sowerbys Botany", was created.

On February 7, 1786, Sowerby married the sister of his fellow student de Carle, Anne de Carle. With her he had nine children, including James de Carle Sowerby and George Brettingham Sowerby I (1788-1854). Both continued his work after Sowerby's death. As a result of his artistic work, Sowerby was named a "Fellow" by the Linnean Society of London in 1793 and was accepted as a full member just five years later. During these years Sowerby also befriended the scientist Joseph Banks .

Sowerby's wife died in September 1815. In December 1820, he married Mary Catherine Reynolds (* 1769), the daughter of Admiral John Reynolds (1713–1788). On October 25, 1822, James Sowerby died at the age of 65 at home in Lambeth, London, after a long illness.

Honors

The plant genus Sowerbaea Sm. From the Asparagaceae family and the Sowerby two-toothed whale ( Mesoplodon bidens ) from the beaked whale family (Ziphiidae) were named in honor of James Sowerby .

Fonts (selection)

  • Flora luxurians . 1789-1791.
  • A Botanical Drawing-Book… . 1789, 2nd edition 1791.
  • Colored figures of English Fungi or mushrooms . Davis, London 1797-1815 (Volumes 1-4).
  • The British miscellany, or, Colored figures of new, rare, or little known animal subjects . London 1806 doi: 10.5962 / bhl.title.41623
  • English botany or colored figures of British plants . White, London 1863-1872 (vols. 1-11).
  • Mineral conchology . Meredith, London 1841 ( online ).

literature

  • RJ Cleevely: A provisional bibliography of natural history works by the Sowerby family . In: Journal of the society of the bibliography of natural history . Volume 6, 1971, pp. 482-559 ( doi: 10.3366 / jsbnh.1974.6.6.482 ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lotte Burkhardt: Directory of eponymous plant names - Extended Edition. Part I and II. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin , Freie Universität Berlin , Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-946292-26-5 doi: 10.3372 / epolist2018 .

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Sowerby, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British naturalist, zoologist and painter
DATE OF BIRTH March 21, 1757
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH October 25, 1822
Place of death Lambeth , London