Vintage Butterflies and Moths - real, and prints

Rescued from Thrift Store

I’ve found names - so ....

What should be done with the real specimens??

Thoughts-

Almost forgot to mention the hand colored prints.

The Jardine 1836 prints were 100x170mm - whereas the prints I have are about 140x200mm. ???

Mo

 

The first few I was wondering if they were a Diorama or prints!!!! Seem very nicely done!!!! So, it would appear, you have BOTH!!!!!?????

 

Not sure what you mean by "what should be done with the real specimens?" If you're thinking about the CITES international law regarding transporting endangered species, it's pretty obvious to me that these specimens are quite old, probably predating the law. If you're wondering about how to preserve them, naphthalene works well although the smell can be annoying.

So here's a bit of information about your specimens: With one exception they represent tropical and neotropical butterflies from the western hemisphere. The largest is probably Papilio thaos, which can be found from Mexico south. The blue butterfly in the center belongs to the genus Hamadryas, which can be found in the same region. The butterfly that appears to be white in the lower left hand corner may be from the genus Morpho. They're famous the world over for their iridescent blue color; this may be faded, or may simply be an unusual white species. The butterfly in the lower right corner is the rare one. It belongs to the genus Agrias, which are deep forest butterflies from Brazil, Peru, Colombia, etc. They have suffered in recent decades from deforestation. They are quite variable and some are extremely rare. In any case, this one is very faded and was no doubt caught long ago. The butterfly in the upper left looks like a Pierid from Asia. In all cases these butterflies could readily have been purchased from hobby stores in decades past; this is still the case with many of them.

Your prints are either English or American, probably from the late 19th or early 20th centuries. One of them depicts a Peacock, which is an English butterfly. However, one also depicts a Mourning Cloak, which is common in America but very rare in England. However, I'm going to go with England on the prints.

Very nice items!