Caterpillars, Moths and a Slender Winged Insect, Albin Plate 99, 1720

Caterpillars, moths and a slender winged insect on eaten leaves, an original hand colored copper engraving of 1720 from Eleazar Albin's A Natural History of English Insects. The plate has no title caption; the lettering engraved below the image is a dedication in script: "To William Gibbons M.D. This Plate is humbly dedicated by Eleaz.r Albin".

A twig of broad, toothed leaves bitten into rounded holes crosses the upper half, with a slender pale caterpillar along the stem. A white moth drawn in fine outline sits at the upper left and a second white moth at the right, with a small chrysalis at the left. Below, one large leaf eaten through in several places carries a further caterpillar at its upper edge and a slender wasp-like insect with long antennae beside it, with a mottled moth at the left, a patterned moth at the lower right and a chrysalis at the lower left.

No artist's or engraver's credit is lettered on this sheet beyond Albin's own name in the dedication. The number "99" is written by hand in ink at the top right of the sheet; no engraved plate number is visible. The insects are keyed with small engraved letters (a, b, c and so on); no species names are printed.

The sheet is plate 99 of Eleazar Albin's A Natural History of English Insects, published in London in 1720. The title page of the book reads "A NATURAL HISTORY OF ENGLISH INSECTS, Illustrated with a Hundred Copper Plates, Curiously Engraven from the Life: And (for those who desire it) Exactly Colored by the Author ELEAZAR ALBIN, Painter", with the imprint "LONDON: Printed for the Author, and sold by William and John Innys at the West End of St Paul's. MDCCXX." The book thus offered its plates colored by the author for those who desired it. Albin was a painter and naturalist working in London.

Light uneven toning, browner towards the edges. Marked handling soiling along the bottom, right and top edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left corner.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.