A Bird’s Egg

James Sowerby prints bring the curiosity of Georgian natural history into your home. Sowerby was the English naturalist and illustrator behind English Botany, British Mineralogy and The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, a vast catalogue of fossil shells. Our collection of fine art prints includes hundreds of his fossil plates, along with his drawings of birds, kangaroos, weasels, walruses and other animals.

About James Sowerby

James Sowerby was born in Lambeth, London, on 21 March 1757. He studied art at the Royal Academy and was apprenticed to Richard Wright. Deciding to paint flowers, he first worked for William Curtis, illustrating his Flora Londinensis and contributing 56 plates to the early volumes of the Botanical Magazine. The French botanist L'Héritier de Brutelle also commissioned his plates.

In 1790 he began English Botany, published over 23 years in 36 volumes with 2,592 hand-coloured engravings and known as Sowerby's Botany, with text by James Edward Smith. He followed it with British Mineralogy (1804–17), Exotic Mineralogy (1811–20) and The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, a catalogue of British fossil invertebrates that his sons completed over 34 years, with 650 coloured plates in seven volumes.

Sowerby kept a large collection of minerals, fossils and specimens in a room at his house, visited by Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society. His sons James De Carle and George Brettingham Sowerby continued his work, founding a family of naturalist illustrators. He died in Lambeth on 25 October 1822.

Style and Subjects

Sowerby aimed to reach a wide audience, not only scholars, with vivid colour and clear, attractive plates. His fossil shells sit on a plain page, several to a sheet, drawn from real specimens with careful shading that makes them look solid and three-dimensional.

His bird and animal drawings are more relaxed: a magpie in a tree, two weasels, a kingfisher or a pair of kangaroos, drawn with a naturalist's eye for fur, feather and posture.

Famous Works

• English Botany (Sowerby's Botany) (1790–1813). 36 volumes with 2,592 hand-coloured plates of British plants.
• British Mineralogy (1804–1817). His illustrated survey of the minerals of Britain.
• The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain, Pl.079. A plate of fossil shells from his great seven-volume catalogue.
• Two Kangaroos with Details, Yale Center for British Art. An early study of the newly described Australian animal.
• A Three-fingered Sloth, Yale Center for British Art. A careful study of the slow-moving tree dweller.
• A Sun-Bear, Yale Center for British Art. One of his drawings of exotic animals.
• A Baboon, Yale Center for British Art. A lively animal study from the same series.

Decorating with Sowerby Prints

The fossil shell plates are made for a study, library or hallway with a cabinet-of-curiosities feel. Hang a grid of six or nine in thin black or oak frames, and their soft browns and creams will sit well with wood, leather and books.

His birds, such as the wren, skylark and goldfinch, suit a kitchen, bedroom or garden room, while the kangaroos, sloth and walruses make a fun, quirky set for a child's room.

FAQ

Who was James Sowerby?

James Sowerby (1757–1822) was an English naturalist, illustrator and mineralogist. He is best known for English Botany and The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain.

What is The Mineral Conchology of Great Britain?

It is a catalogue of the invertebrate fossils found in Britain, published over 34 years and completed by his sons. It has 650 coloured plates in seven volumes.

What is Sowerby's Botany?

It is the popular name for English Botany, a 36-volume work begun in 1790 with 2,592 hand-coloured engravings of British plants and text by James Edward Smith.

Who continued Sowerby's work?

His sons James De Carle Sowerby and George Brettingham Sowerby I continued his books, and the Sowerby name stayed linked to natural history illustration for generations.

Where can I see his original drawings?

The Yale Center for British Art holds many of his bird and animal drawings.

Related Artists

• Sydenham Edwards: fellow illustrator for William Curtis and the Botanical Magazine
• James De Carle Sowerby: his son, who continued the Mineral Conchology
• Pierre-Joseph Redouté: flower painter who also worked for L'Héritier de Brutelle
• John Gould: later publisher of natural history plates