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 Henry John as a young man. | |
| Born | (1846-05-16)May 16, 1846 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | November 26, 1922(1922-11-26) (aged 76) England |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Eton College |
| Known for | Genus Lilium |
| Awards | Victoria Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany, Entomology, |
Henry John Elwes, FRS (16 May 1846 - 26 November 1922) was a British botanist, entomologist, author, collector, naturalist, and traveller who became renowned for collecting specimens of lilies during trips to the Himalayas and Korea. He was the first person to receive the Victoria Medal of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1897 and the author of Monograph of the Genus Lilium (1880), and Trees of Great Britain and Ireland (1848-1929) with Augustine Henry, as well as numerous articles. He left a collection of 30,000 butterfly specimens to the Natural History Museum, including 11,370 specimens of Palaearctic butterflies.
Biography
Elwes was the eldest son of J. H. Elwes of Colesbourne Park near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. After studying at Eton College and spending five years in the Scots Guards, he then travelled to various parts of the world and studied aspects natural history including botany, entomology, ornithology and big game. Elwes was described as "a giant of a man, and a very dominating character". with "a booming voice which carried well across his Gloucestershire estate, but was very disconcerting elsewhere"
Career
In 1886, Elwes was made a member of a mission organized by the Geographical Section of the British Association which would take the party through Sikkim to Tibet. It was this visit to the Himalayas that sparked his interest in botany and lepidopterology. His Sikkim expedition alone yielded nearly 530 records of butterflies. He also made collection trips to the United Provinces, the Punjab, the Central Provinces, Bengal, South Canara and Travancore. Along with T. Edwards, Elwes wrote a monograph on the Oriental Hesperiidae. He also made a trip to the Altai region in 1898. His posthumously published Memoirs (1930) includes a chapter describing his visit to Nepal in 1914, at a time when Europeans were seldom admitted. He mentions an unnamed companion; it is now known this was the English naturalist Aubyn Trevor-Battye, who took some of the photographs used to illustrate this chapter.
Monograph on the Genus Lilium
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The Monograph was originally instigated by Elwes. To ensure that the text was as accurate as possible, and that the range of lilies was as complete as possible, he consulted the greatest botanical experts in the field for help in writing the text. This level of excellence was perpetuated in the illustrations, and Elwes was able to execute his plan to illustrate the monograph with hand-coloured plates by the best available botanical artist, with each member of the genus shown full-size. Between March 1877 and May 1880 subscribers received seven parts (at a total cost of seven guineas), illustrated with 48 plates by Walter Hood Fitch (1817 - 1892). In his garden he was able to grow many of the members of the Lilium genus becoming recognized expert in the field. However, he played down his level of knowledge.
Later Years
Shortly before his death in 1922 Elwes had asked A. Grove, a friend and fellow lily expert, to undertake the task of producing a supplement. Dame Alice Godman, who was related by marriage to Elwes, agreed to underwrite the cost of the work (co-written by Grove and the botanist A. D. Cotton) and the first seven parts of the supplement were published between July 1933 and February 1940, with 30 hand-coloured lithographed plates, all but two by Lillian Snelling (1879-1972). Two final supplements were published in 1960 and 1962 by William Bertram Turrill.
Works
- Monograph of the Genus Lilium, London: Taylor and Francis, 1877-80.
- On the butterflies of Amurlan, North China, and Japan, 1881, LV-LIX: 856-916
- The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland Private publication with Augustine Henry, 1848-1929.
- On the Lepidopteren of the Altai Mountains, pp. 295-367, pl. XI-XIV, 1899.
- Memoirs of Travel, Sport, and Natural History, Edited posthumously by E. G. Hawke. Benn, London, 1930.
References
- , Salmon, M. A. (2000). The Aurelian Legacy - Britain's butterliesand their collectors. Harley Books, Colchester. ISBN 0946589402
- Anon (1923) Obituary: Henry John Elwes, F. R. S. The Geographical Journal 61(4):311
- Riley, N. D. History of Department of Entomology, p. 212.
- Stearn, W. T. Natural History Museum, p. 212.
- Rao, B R Subba (1998) History of Entomology in India. Institution of Agricultural Technologists. Bangalore.
- This visit is described in an unpublished manuscript: Indian Journal 1914 by Aubyn Trevor-Battye, now in the possession of A.T-B's descendants, along with the original photographs
- Monogram background from Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA)