The EI Podcast The first butterfly collectors
Mar 23, 2026
A deep dive into Britain’s early butterfly enthusiasts and the dramatic 1748 Swan Tavern fire. Exploration of Georgian illustrated books, aristocratic patrons, and barriers faced by women collectors. Traces the shift from elite taste to mass Victorian collecting and ends with the move from rampant collecting toward modern conservation.
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Swan Tavern Fire Destroyed Early Aurelian Records
- A fire at the Swan Tavern in Exchange Alley in March 1748 destroyed the Society of Aurelians' meeting room, records, collections and regalia.
- That loss leaves us with only fragmentary knowledge of Britain's first entomological society and its activities.
Aurelians Fused Art and Entomology
- The Aurelians blended aesthetic appreciation with natural history, attracting painters, printmakers and designers as members.
- They produced lavish hand-coloured copper engravings like English Moths and Butterflies (1749) sold by aristocratic subscription with plates dedicated to patrons.
Butterfly Collecting Was Gendered And Elite
- In 18th-century Britain, butterfly study was fashionable among aristocratic women, who subscribed to expensive illustrated plates but could not join the male-only society.
- Social norms branded active butterfly chasing in women as unladylike or insane, illustrated by Eleanor Glanville's disinherited case.
