https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/sowerby-mineralogy/ * Home * Essays * Collections * Explore * Shop * Support PDR * About * Blog Search Search The Public Domain Review [ ][View All Results] The Public Domain Review The Public Domain Review PDRSupport PDR * Essays * Collections * Explore * Shop * About * Blog * * * * Collections / Books James Sowerby's British Mineralogy (1802-1817) [britishmin] On December 13, 1795, a fifty-six-pound meteorite fell from the sky into an English quarry. Wondering if it had "come from some volcano in the Moon", the landowner turned this lump of multi-colored minerals over to James Sowerby, a well-connected scientific illustrator and naturalist. Sowerby published an extensive account of what became known as the "Yorkshire Meteorite" in his five-part mineralogical handbook, inviting pushback from geologists who thought that including a "Phaeton from the heavens might seem absurd in a work on British Mineralogy". Since the curious object contained substances commonly found within mines of the British Isles, Sowerby believed the meteorite belonged in a volume primarily devoted to more mundane earthbound subjects, such as table salt and oxygenized carbon. Comprised of more than four hundred vividly hand-colored engravings of various rocks, minerals, and compounds, British Mineralogy saw the Royal Academy-trained illustrator depart from his focus on botany toward non-living specimens. Pledging to leave "no stone unturned" in communicating to both laypeople -- farmers, miners, and surveyors -- and a growing class of gentlemanly mineralogists interested in theories of evolutionary transmutation, Sowerby tried to bridge ever-growing cleavages in geological communities during a time when the age of Earth was hotly disputed. Geologists adhering to "Volcanian" and "Neptunian" theories of planetary origin might, at long last, "shake hands together", if provided with detailed illustrations of every known British "species" of rock and mineral. By referencing these dueling ideologies, which argued that the Earth was born either out of fiery eruption or biblical deluge, Sowerby positioned his work at the center of a debate that held enormous stakes far beyond the realm of geology. James Sowerby, British Mineralogy, or, Coloured Figures Intended to Elucidate the Mineralogy of Great Britain, Vol. 1 (London: R. Taylor and Co., 1804). Catastrophism -- the idea that the origins of Earth and the transmutation of species have been shaped by sudden, often violent events -- dominated early-nineteenth century scientific debates about evolution and extinction. Embraced, by some, as a way of reconciling biblical beginnings with increasingly common discoveries of fossilized bones that pointed to a decidedly non-Christian view of the world, the set of layered theories attempted to integrate mass extinction with ongoing transmutation. Sowerby, who was deeply committed to public scholarship, refused to weigh in on the religious implication of his geological work, saving it for later texts on less "controversial" subjects. Seemingly circumspect in his own beliefs, Sowerby gestured towards, while never fully engaging with, profound conversations between science and religion. Despite his scientific leanings, James Sowerby was first and foremost an artist. From his intricately detailed accounts of fungi and shells to his 1809 A New Elucidation of Colour Theory (dedicated to none other than Isaac Newton), the naturalist was concerned with translating three-dimensional, colorful, and sometimes ephemeral objects to the flat surface of the page. Adept in describing and demonstrating how complex questions of perspective, scale, and color functioned in individual objects, Sowerby's observational eyes and deft hands were remarkable for the time and continue to work as standards within scientific illustration. The illustrator's rocks and minerals were, at once, geometric objects and geological proofs of the Earth's age. By the 1830s, geologists had largely replaced catastrophic origin theories with "uniformitarian" ideas of gradual change. These ideas were most clearly articulated in geologist Charles Lyell's enormously popular and oft-revised Principles of Geology, a scantily illustrated text that formed the sediments of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Sowerby, for his part, continued to add natural-historical specimens to his private collections while building a familial legacy of scientific collecting and illustration that lasted for generations. As Sowerby's disciple John Mawe wrote in his public-facing Familiar Lessons on Mineralogy and Geology, the magic and mystery of mineralogy, from meteorite to table salt, lay in its multiple identities, spanning audiences and consumers. Rocks and minerals, in all of their mundanity, held beautiful and sublime lessons about the world for specialists and non-specialists alike -- a beauty that Sowerby was devoted to capturing through illustration, and a beauty that continues to capture illustrators and designers more than two centuries later. Find below highlights of plates from all five volumes. You can see the first four volumes at the Biodiversity Heritage Library, and the full set at e-rara. Also check out this wonderful hand-copied selection from Sowerby's work made in 1840 by a woman named Martha Proby. Text by Elaine Ayers Published March 3, 2022 Medium * Books Theme * Science & Medicine * Natural World Genre * Science * Reference * Art, Design & Picturebooks Type * Non-fiction Epoch * 19th Century Tags rock2geology5stone2 Source Source Various * Biodiversity Heritage Library logo More Biodiversity Heritage Library content on PDR (30) * Smithsonian Libraries logo More Smithsonian Libraries content on PDR (23) * e-rara logo More e-rara content on PDR (3) Rights Underlying Work Rights PD Worldwide Digital Copy Rights No Additional Rights Download Download See source Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Calcite (Calcareous Spar) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Satin Spar (Calx sericea) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Azure Iron Ore (Ferrum caeruleum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Crystallized Carbonite of Lime, lenticular-equiaxed (Calx carbonata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Argilla Marga (Argillaceous Marle) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulfate of Iron (Ferrum sulphuratum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Silky filamentous Sulphate of Iron (Ferrum sulphuratum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Arseniate of Copper (Cuprum arseniatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Siliceous Sandstone (Silex arenacea) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Byssus-like Carbonate of Copper (Cuprum carbonatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Oxygenized Carbon (Carbo oxygenizatus) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Argillaceous Iron Ore (Ferrum argillaceum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Spathose Iron Ore; Lenticular crystallized Carbonate of Lime (Calx carbonata ferrifera, var. lenticularis) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulfate of Barytes (Barytes sulphata, var. primitiva) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulphuret of Copper (Cuprum sulphuratum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Variegated Limestone; or Tirie Marble (Calx carbonata, var. petrosa) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Arseniate of Iron (Ferrum arseniatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Flint Pebbles, &c. (Silex Quartzum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Quartzose Pudding Stone (Silex Quartzum, var. aggregatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Arseniate of Copper (Cuprum arseniatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Carbonate of Copper (Cuprum carbonatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulphate of Barytes Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Arseniate of Iron Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Argillaceous Oxide of Iron (Ferrum argillaceum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Crystallized Carbonate of Barytes (Barytes carbonata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Stalactitical Oxide of Iron (Ferrum oxygenizatum, var. stalactiticum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Hydrargillite (Argilla hydrata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Inverse crystallized Carbonate of Lime (Calx carbonata, var. inversa) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Filamentose Oxide of Copper (Cuprum oxygenizatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Crystallized Oxide of Zinc (Zincum oxygenizatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Quartz-Jasper (Silex Quartzum, var. Jaspis) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Oxide of Manganese (Manganesium oxygenizatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Arseniate of Copper (Cuprum arseniatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Talc (Silex Talcum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Prehnite (Silex Prehnites) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Ferriferous Carbonate of Lime (Calx carbonata, var. ferrifera) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Quartz Septarium (Silex Quartzum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Feldspar and Petuntse (Silex Petuntse) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Red Jasper (Silex Quartzum, var. Jaspis) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Red and Green Serpentine (Silex steatites, var. induratum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Indurated Steatite (Silex steatites, var. indurata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Kaolin (Silex Petuntse) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Quartz, or Agate (Silex Quartzum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Macle or Chiastolite Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulphuret of Lead, or Galaena (Plumbum sulphureum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Peroxide or rather Hydrate of Copper (Cuprum hyperoxygenizatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Water, Ice or Hail (Oxygen Aqua) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Hard Carbonate of Lime (Calx carbonata dura) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Coralliform Limestone (Calx carbonata coralliformis) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulphate of Barytes (Barytes sulphata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Sulphate of Barytes (Barytes sulphata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Crystallized Quartz (Silex Quartzum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Peroxide or Hydrate of Copper (Cuprum hyperoxgenizatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Stellated or radiated Sulphate of Strontian (Strontia sulphata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Brush-like Sulphate of Strontian (Strontia sulphata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Cotham Marble -- "The fanciful figure to themselves in this something like a boat and men in one part, and hedge-rows in another, with trees in full foliage." Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Calcareous Schist (Calx carbonata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Siliceous Schistus, Hone-Stone, or Novaculite Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Plant-formed Coal (Carbo bituminosus) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Striped Flints (Silex quartzum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Fire-Stone Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Fluor (Calx fluata) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Blistered Sulphuret of Copper (Cuprum sulphureum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Siliceo-calcareous Oxide of Titanium (Titanium oxygenizatum siliceocalcareum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Amorphous Quartz or Flint (Silex quartzum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Vitrified Sand tubes (Quatzum vitrificatum) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Calcedony or Agate (Silex Achates) Illustration of minerals by SowerbyScroll through the whole page to download all images before printing. Red oxyde of Iron (Ferrum oxygenizatum) If You Liked This... Hand holding envelope Get Our Newsletter Our latest content, your inbox, every fortnight Privacy Policy More Info [ ][ ] HP[ ] [Subscribe] Become a Friend of the PDRPostcardsWe rely on our annual donors to keep the project alive. 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