BUTTERFLIES, Indian - An album of original watercolours of Indian butterflies and moths mounted on paper, the images 130 x 95mm., inset into 38 thick card mounts, one on each side (some staining), 1868 and later, collected by Julius Barras.

BUTTERFLIES, Indian - An album of original watercolours of Indian butterflies and moths mounted on paper with watercolour backgrounds of flora, the images 130 x 95mm., each inset into 38 thick card mounts, one on each side (some spotting and staining), hinged throughout, inserted into a 4to (285 x 250mm) black morocco album, red edges, the watercolours dated 1868 and later, the spine of the album dated (erroneously) 1867 (see note). Each watercolour is captioned with the place and year that the butterfly was caught, the majority being found in "Mehidpore"[sic] (India) in 1868. The butterflies were collected by Julius Barras, of whom little is known except that he published a book called "India and Tiger Hunting" in London in 1885 and a (very rare) collection of Anglo-Indian stories under the title "Under Two Shillings" published in London c.1888. The front of the album has an extensive note by Barras: "These butterflies and flowers are my first efforts as taught me by Colonel G. R. S. Burrows [i.e. almost certainly Brigadier General George Reynolds Scott Burrows (1827-1917)]. After keeping them upwards of twenty years I thought them worth preserving on the chance of their proving indestructible and thus becoming valuable some day as other as[sic] 'antiques'. I am particular that the flowers should be ascribed to the right artists because mine are so very bad. Consequently all those done by anybody else are marked. The butterflies and moths were all preserved by me, Julius Barras, at the times specified. Where they appear faded, it may be that friction is to blame? If you were to rub Rembrandt's pictures with your finger for years and years they would soon appear to look bad. I should not now think of transferring butterflies on common note paper like these. It cockles so. Nearly all these insects are common at all our Indian stations. The date on the back of this book [i.e. album] ought to be 1868. E. P. on some of the flowers stands for [?]Elta Palmer, 53 Lowndes Square. These Butterflies were all done at the time they were caught ..."