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Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta

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Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta is a book written and illustrated by Charles Catton the younger and published in London in 1788. It is a very early example of a work including hand-coloured aquatints. The thirty-six animals described, all mammals except for the crocodile, were from both the New World and the Old World. At the time Catton had not travelled abroad so he drew native British animals as well as exotics kept in captivity in Britain.

Catton's "The Maucauco" (ring-tailed lemur)

Background

[edit]

Catton was by profession an artist who was taught his skills by his father, also called Charles Catton, who is known in the history of art as Charles Catton the elder.

Charles Catton the elder

[edit]
Main article: Charles Catton the elder

The elder Catton (1728–1798) was apprenticed to a coach builder at a time when it was fashionable to have heraldic coats of arms painted on the sides of the coaches. He became skilled in the artistic part of his trade and was well known for his ability at painting animals supporting coats of arms in a naturalistic way rather than heraldically.[1] As well as becoming coach painter to George III he became an accomplished portraitist and a founder member of the Royal Academy.[1]

Charles Catton the younger's art

[edit]

Charles Catton the younger (1756–1819) was apprenticed to his father, working closely to his style, and was trained at the Royal Academy schools.[1][2] He exhibited regularly at the academy (1775–1800) – landscapes, animals and topographical watercolours – and was an occasional scene painter at Covent Garden Theatre (1781–1794).[3][4] He toured Great Britain making paintings and sketches, many of which were later engraved by others but he was a skilled engraver himself. He did not leave Britain until he emigrated to the United States in 1804.[2][5][4]

Shortly after "Animals" was published he contributed some illustrations for John White's 1790 Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales.[6]

Publication

[edit]

Animals was first published in 1788 in London by I. and J. Taylor and then again in 1825 in New Haven by H. Howe, a local bookseller and publisher.[7] Thirty-six animals are described, each having a whole-page illustration and a page of text – 74 pages in all. The first edition is upright folio (2°), 16.8 by 10.8 inches (426 by 275 mm) and the prints are 12 by 8 in (300 by 200 mm).[8] The text and most of the illustrations are orientated sideways so the pages are in landscape format.[9] The binding is calfskin with gilt embellishments and the spine is in seven panels with a morocco leather title label in the second panel. The endpapers are with spot and veined marbling.[9][note 1]

The Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna has placed page images of its first edition online.[10] The book is also hosted on the Internet Archive.[11] and a proofread text version is on Wikisource at Animals drawn from Nature and engraved in aqua-tinta.[note 2]

In the first edition the aquatints are coloured and, according to Sarah Prideaux (1909)[5]

"There are very few books on natural history illustrated in aquatint, but these are, for various reasons, of considerable interest. The earliest use of aquatint for this class of subject that I have found is in a book of Charles Catton, Animals drawn from Nature, with coloured plates in line and aquatint, all of which are covered with a thick yellow varnish. At the bottom of each plate is Drawn from life and engraved by Charles Catton, Jun. No. 7 on the Terrace, Tottenham Court Road, and the date, which is generally 1788; on one, however, it is 1787, and a few are undated."

The "thick yellow varnish" referred to by Prideaux is very evident in the scan available. An example of the American 1825 edition is described as having its images uncoloured.[15]

When describing prints, "hand-coloured" means that a monochrome print has been painted afterwards. This is to be distinguished from "colour-printed" which means that the printing itself was in colour. Colour printing could be produced either by painting the plate carefully with differently coloured inks and then making a single pressing, or by making a number of plates, engraved appropriately for each colour, and making sequential impressions. These techniques may be combined in a single illustration.[16] An example of the British 1788 edition of Animals is described as having "hand-coloured aquatint plates by and after Catton, heightened with white and gum arabic." meaning that the illustrations were coloured afterwards and the reference to gum arabic further suggests that this what is meant.[9] According to Baynton-Williams (1990)[16]

"Despite the fact that stipple engraving and mezzotints were being printed in colours at the time aquatinting started, it was some time before aquatints were colour-printed. James Molton first published a series of views titled Picturesque Views of the City of Dublin in 1795, printed in monotone, but there is a colour version printed in 1798, which is probably the first colour aquatint book."

Reception

[edit]

In 1791 the book was on sale for £3 17s 0d (equivalent to £580 in 2023) and £9 5s 0d (£1410) if the plates were coloured,[note 3] but by 1831 the inclusive price was only £3 13s 6d (£420) with the recommendation "Catton was an eminent coach-painter and a very superior draftsman. The above work is scarce in any state, but particularly so in colours and varnish, in which state the plates have the appearance of oil paintings."[17] In 2006 a British first edition sold at Christie's for £3,600 ($6,401 then) and in 2016 an American edition sold for $1,845 (£1,494 then).[18][15]

(photograph)
Catton's, 1788 (top) and Bewick's, 1791 unidentified bears (now known as the sloth bear)

Before Catton's book had been published, Thomas Bewick, who had been preparing his own book with monochrome woodcut engravings, A General History of Quadrupeds (1790), got into "a pitch of nervous curiosity" about the forthcoming competition. However, when he saw Catton's work he thought the prints were feeble and the book was considerably overpriced – when "Quadrupeds" was published in 1790 it was "greeted with delight".[19] What Catton had called an "animal of the bear kind" (and what is now known as a sloth bear) made its appearance in Bewick's second, 1791, edition of "Quadrupeds" although it was not named in any way.[20][note 4] At the end of the 18th century, it was controversial whether this creature was a bear-like sloth or a sloth-like bear, and the matter was still worthy of comment in Richard Owen's 1833 Zoological Magazine where Bewick is praised but Catton is given a slightly adverse review:[21]

"Bewick, in his History of Quadrupeds, has given a characteristic figure and an accurate description of this species; and from the striking correspondence of parts observable between it and the common bear, as well as from an attentive examination of its disposition and manners, he was induced to place it in the same genus, notwithstanding it seemed to differ in some of those characteristics, which have been pointed out by naturalists as the guides to a regular and systematic arrangement. In an earlier and ruder figure, which we find in Caton's Figures of Animals, the good sense of the artist also detected the true relations of this subject, and the animal is called the Petre Bear."

Catton's, 1788 (top) and Bewick's, 1790 hyaenas (Bewick's with added tail)

Bewick's engravings in Quadrupeds were not beyond all criticism. Bewick's brother John was dealing with the publishers and wrote to Thomas:[19]

"I was exceeding sorry, & vext, to see your Hyena done without a tail, an Animal so particularly well known among the Curious, I should thout you might have seen Mr Cattons, which is a pretty good one, I was obliged to cut it from the Proposals as I could not show it to any Body."

To remedy this sorry situation Bewick cut out part of his wood block and inserted a new piece of wood so that he could engrave a tail.[19]

Animals included

[edit]
Table of Contents for Catton's book

Despite the title of Catton's book the animals were not all drawn from nature and not even from life as his individual texts sometimes acknowledge.[22]

Identifications of animals

[edit]

Catton did not use Linnaean taxonomy and his descriptions were those of an artist experienced in careful observation, not of an experienced naturalist. Hence, except when he uses the same name as is extant (even if rather archaic), this section records what experienced naturalists have later claimed are the specific identifications (sometimes from first-hand knowledge) or what Catton himself said were other naturalists' identifications. No attempt is made here to make identifications based on Catton's physical or behavioural descriptions, or from his illustrations.

Catton's "Yellow Bear", 1788 (above) and Griffith's Ursus luteolus, 1821
  • Plate 10. Animal of the Bear Kind – George Shaw said Catton was "an artist who has been peculiarly happy in expressing the appearance of the animal". Shaw identified Catton's Petre bear as an "Ursine Sloth",[29] or Bradypus Ursinus,[30] now Melursus ursinus or sloth bear.[31][note 7]
Catton's "Animal of the Bear-Kind", 1788 (left) and Frederick Nodder's "Ursine Sloth", 1791
Catton's "Animal of the Weasel-kind", 1788 (left) and Shaw's "Striated Weesel", 1800
  • Plate 26. The Coti – Catton says this is Buffon's Le Coati noiratre, which was Linnaeus' Viverra nasua,[40] now nasua nasua.[41] However, Buffon's other species, Coati Brun, is implied by Catton calling it "The Brown Coti" which was Linnaeus' Viverra narica,[42] now Nasua narica.[43][note 11]
Catton's "Brown Coti", 1788 (left), Buffon's "Coati noiratre" and "Coati brun", 1766

Naturalists and others mentioned

[edit]

This is a partial list of people mentioned in the book.

Other relevant material

[edit]

The University of Delaware has information on coloured printing and colour printing.[52]

Illustrations from a different example of the 1788 edition, once owned by the Duke of Gloucester.[note 14][9][18]

  • The Royal Tiger
    The Royal Tiger
  • The Angora Cats
    The Angora Cats
  • The Child of the Sun
    The Child of the Sun

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ There is a photograph online of the Duke of Gloucester's first edition.[9]
  2. ^ Free unformatted versions are available from Google online[12] and as an ebook for Google Play.[13] A commercial version formatted in epub format is also on Google Play.[14]
  3. ^ In the catalogue's description "cuts coloured" the word "cuts" means engravings.
  4. ^ Incidentally, Bewick's second edition cost 9/- (equivalent to £68 in 2023) and had 483 pages.[20]
  5. ^ The ocelot is from the Americas and is not native to South Africa, indeed no species of small cat is native to the Americas and to South Africa.[25]
  6. ^ What Griffith considered a "separate species" from Ursus Americanus (and also called the cinnamon bear)[28] was later regarded as a subspecies and now merely a colour phase of the Louisiana black bear.
  7. ^ Those considering this animal to be a sloth (Bradypus means sloth) sometimes also called it a "five-toed sloth" and this term has emerged into 21st-century slang to mean a lazy or slow human being.[32]
  8. ^ Pennant discusses the "Great Baboon".[35]
  9. ^ Baboons (and monkeys five feet tall) do not come from South America which Catton had been told was the origin.
  10. ^ The spotted skunk is native to north and central America, not India (Bengal). Its number of stripes is variable but there can be four.[39]
  11. ^ Allen gives a fascinating account of the deteriorating state of coati taxonomy during the 19th century.[42]
  12. ^ Banks had Catton's book in his library.[46]
  13. ^ von Archenholtz notes that Catton (among others) did paintings for Cook but did not accompany him on his voyages.[48]
  14. ^ Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.[8]
[edit]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Catton, Animals drawn from Nature.

Animals Drawn From Nature And Engraved in Aqua Tinta (1788) Upright at the Internet Archive

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Norfolk Museums Service – The Catton Collection". www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk. Norfolk County Council. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b Highfill, Philip H.; Burnim, Kalman A.; Langhans, Edward A (1975). A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800: Cabanel to Cory. SIU Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-8093-0692-3.
  3. ^ Wilkin, David William (27 December 2013). "Regency Personalities Series – Charles Catton the Younger". The Things That Catch My Eye. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014.
    Hardcastle, Ephraim, ed. (1824). Somerset House Gazette, and Literary Museum; Or: Weekly Miscellany of the Fine Arts, Antiquities, and Literary Chit Chat. Vol. I. W. Wetton. p. 101.
  4. ^ a b "Charles Catton II (Biographical details)". British Museum. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Prideaux, Sarah Treverbian (1909). Aquatint engraving; a chapter in the history of book illustration. London: Duckworth & Co. pp. 289–290.
  6. ^ White, John (1790). Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. J. Debrett. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
    Dickson, Nicola Jan (2010). Wonderlust: the influence of natural history illustration and ornamentation on perceptions of the exotic in Australia (PDF). Australian National University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2015.
  7. ^ "British Library Item details". Explore the British Library. British Library. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
    "Formats and Editions of Thirty-six animals, drawn from nature, and engraved in aquatinta". www.worldcat.org. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
    "Prints by Charles Catton". www.newzealandantiqueprints.co.nz. New Zealand Antique Prints. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017.
    "Charles Catton The Musk Deer". Philadelphia Print Shop West. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Lot 136: CATTON, Charles, the younger (1759–1819). Animals Drawn from Nature. London: printed for the author and sold by I. and J. Taylor, 1787–1788". Valuable Printed Books and Manuscripts. Invaluable LLC. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-Tinta". www.templerarebooks.com. Temple Rare Books of Oxford. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017.
  10. ^ Catton, Charles (1 January 1788). "Animals drawn from nature and engraved in aqua-tinta". önb kataloge. Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
    Catton, Charles. "Animals drawn from nature and engraved in aqua-tinta". Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  11. ^ Catton junior, Charles (1 January 1788). "Animals Drawn From Nature And Engraved In Aqua Tinta (1788) Upright". Internet Archive. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  12. ^ Catton, Charles (1788). Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta. Tayllr.
  13. ^ Catton, Charles (1 January 1788). "Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-tinta". Google Play. Tayllr. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  14. ^ Catton, Charles (28 March 2017). "Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-Tinta". Google Play. Library of Alexandria. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Catton, Charles (1728-1798) Thirty-Six Animals, Drawn from Nature, and Engraved in Aqua-Tinta. Sale Number 2950B, Lot Number 203". www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner Auctioneers. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022.
  16. ^ a b Baynton-Williams, Roger (2009). The Art of the Printmaker: 1500–1860. A & C Black. pp. 125, 150. ISBN 978-1-4081-1266-3.
  17. ^ Bent, W. (1791). The London Catalogue of Books. W. Bent. p. 50.
    Bohn, Henry George (1831). Catalogue of a Very Select Collection of Books: English and Foreign, Offered at the Low Prices Affixed by Henry G. Bohn. C. Richards. p. 249. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017.
  18. ^ a b "Catton, Charles, the younger (1759–1819). Animals Drawn from Nature. London: printed for the author and sold by I. and J. Taylor, 1787–1788". Chrities's. 26–27 January 2006. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  19. ^ a b c Uglow, Jenny (2006). Nature's engraver : a life of Thomas Bewick. London: Faber and Faber. pp. 160, 165, 172. ISBN 978-0-571-22374-9.
  20. ^ a b Bewick, Thomas (1891). A General History of Quadrupeds. Robinson & Dilly. pp. 266–267.
  21. ^ Owen, Richard, ed. (1833). Zoological Magazine: or Journal of Natural History. Vol. 3. Whittaker, Treacher and Company. pp. 81–85. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017.
  22. ^ "Animals Drawn from Nature Late 18th Century Aquatints by Charles Catton, Jr". www.georgeglazer.com. George Glazer Gallery. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017.
    Catton, Charles. "The Hippopotamus". Animals Drawn from Nature and Engraved in Aqua-Tinta. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017.
  23. ^ Gray, John Edward (1843). List of the Specimens of Mammalia in the Collection of the British Museum. British Museum. p. 42.
  24. ^ "ResearchGuides. Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Fact Sheet, 2011. Taxonomy & History". ielc.libguides.com. San Diego Zoo Global. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  25. ^ Kerby, Gillian (1984). Macdonald, David (ed.). Encyclopedia of Mammals:1. London: Guild Publishing, Book Club Associates.
  26. ^ Merriam, Clinton Hart (29 December 1893). "The Yellow Bear of Louisiana, Ursus luteolus Griffith". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. VIII: 147–152. in Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, volume VIII, 1893. Biological Society of Washington. 1893.
  27. ^ "Ursus americanus". www.fs.fed.us. U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017.
  28. ^ Griffith, Edward (1821). General and Particular Descriptions of the Vertebrated Animals: Arranged Conformably to the Modern Discoveries and Improvements in Zoology. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy. pp. 236–237.
  29. ^ Shaw, George (1791). Vivarium naturae or the naturalist's miscellany. The naturalist's miscellany: or coloured figures of natural objects; drawn and described ... from Nature. Figures by F. P. Nodder. Fredericus P. Nodder. p. 137. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  30. ^ Shaw, George (1800). General zoology or systematic natural history. G. Kearsley. pp. 159–161.
  31. ^ "Melursus ursinus (Sloth Bear)". www.iucnredlist.org. IUCN. 2016. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017.
  32. ^ Crabb, George (1823). "BRADYPUS". Universal Technological Dictionary Or Familiar Explanation of the Terms Used in All Arts and Sciences: Containing Definitions Drawn from the Original Writers : in Two Volumes. Vol. I. Baldwin, Cradock & Joy. p. 262. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017.
  33. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica, Lie–Mat, Volume 12. Archibald Constable. 1817. p. 482.
  34. ^ Bingley, William (1820). Animal biography, or, Popular zoology, Volumes 1–2. pp. 74–76.
  35. ^ Pennant, Thomas (1781). History of Quadrupeds. pp. 172–176. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  36. ^ Grigson, Caroline (2016). Menagerie: The History of Exotic Animals in England. Oxford University Press. In July Clark announced that the animals in the Great Room had been joined by an 'Arabian savage' or 'Child of the Sun', most probably a hamadryas baboon from Arabia, claiming that it was only the second animal of the kind ever seen
  37. ^ Shaw, George (1800). General zoology or systematic natural history: Volume 1, part 1, Mammalia. G. Kearsley. p. 389. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  38. ^ "Spilogale putorius (Allegheny Spotted Skunk, Appalachian Spotted Skunk, Eastern Spotted Skunk, Plains Spotted Skunk, Spotted Skunk)". Red List. IUCN. 2016. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  39. ^ Whitaker Jr., John O (2010). Mammals of Indiana: A Field Guide. Indiana University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-253-22213-8. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  40. ^ Allen, Joel Asaph (1879). "Art X. On the Coatis (Gen Nasua Storr)". Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey. V (2): 170. in Allen, Joel Asaph, ed. (1870). Collected writings on mammals. pp. 153–174.
  41. ^ Gompper, Matthew E.; Decker, Denise M. (1 June 1998). "Mammalian species: Nasua nasua" (PDF). American Society of Mammalologists. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2016.
  42. ^ a b Allen, Joel Asaph (1879). "Art X. On the Coatis (Gen Nasua Storr)". Bulletin of the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey. V (2): 162. in Allen, Joel Asaph, ed. (1870). Collected writings on mammals. pp. 153–174.
  43. ^ Gompper, Matthew E. (23 June 1995). "Mammalian species: Nasua narica" (PDF). American Society of Mammalologists. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2016.
  44. ^ Srinivasulu, C. (December 2012). "A note on the named forms of the genus Ratufa Gray, 1867 (Mammalia, Sciuridae)" (PDF). Small Mammal Mail. 4 (2). CCINSA & RISCINSA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 April 2017.
  45. ^ Mavor, William Fordyce (1797). Historical Account of the Most Celebrated Voyages, Travels, and Discoveries, from the Time of Columbus to the Present Period. E. Newbery. p. 26. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017.
  46. ^ Dryander, Jona (1796). "IV, Oeconometrica". Catalogus bibliothecae historico-naturalis Josephi Banks. Typis Gul. Bulmer et Soc. p. 19.
  47. ^ "High bred. Low bred. / Political Sketches". Collection online. British Museum. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017.
  48. ^ von Archenholtz, Johann Wilhelm (24 December 2013). England. UPA. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-7618-6291-8.
  49. ^ Oldfield, Jonathan; Shaw, Denis J B (5 October 2015). The Development of Russian Environmental Thought: Scientific and Geographical Perspectives on the Natural Environment. Routledge. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-317-36632-4. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017.
  50. ^ gduke. "Book of the Week: The Memory of a Museum Dissolved but Not Forgotten". blog.biodiversitylibrary.org. Biodiversity Heritage Library. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017.
  51. ^ a b Grigson, Caroline (28 January 2016). Menagerie: The History of Exotic Animals in England. Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-19-102412-2.
  52. ^ "Color printing in the nineteenth century. Intaglio processes". University of Delaware Library’s Special Collections website. University of Delaware. 21 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017.
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