This notebook of butterflies from the Shire Valley, East Africa (present day Malawi) was originally attributed to John Kirk. The actual author of the work, as determined by a Kirk scholar is Reverend Horace Waller; an English missionary and anti-slavery activist who went on several expeditions to Africa in the 19th century. Waller developed a strong friendship with Dr. David Livingstone after the two met in Africa in 1861. Waller joined Livingstone's expedition, which traveled along the Zambezi river, at a mission in the Shire highlands. This specimen book is part of the Field Book Project. The purpose of the project is to create a digital collection for increased accessibility to these rich research materials.
This notebook of butterflies from the Shire Valley, East Africa (present day Malawi) was originally attributed to John Kirk. The actual author of the work, as determined by a Kirk scholar is Reverend Horace Waller; an English missionary and anti-slavery activist who went on several expeditions to Africa in the 19th century. Waller developed a strong friendship with Dr. David Livingstone after the two met in Africa in 1861. Waller joined Livingstone's expedition, which traveled along the Zambezi river, at a mission in the Shire highlands.
The butterfly specimens collected by Waller were adhered to the pages of the book through a unique technique in which the wings were dampened and applied to the paper using an adhesive like gum Arabic. Once applied only the scales of the butterfly's wings would remain with the rest of the specimen being drawn. This type of image transfer is known as a nature print. This rare item was purchased by Russell E. Train in the late 20th century and is now part of the Cullman Library Russell E. Train Africana Collection. Please join us in transcribing this one of a kind item.