author
Benjamin Wilkes
d. 1749
An 18th-century London artist turned to the natural world for inspiration and became known for beautifully detailed studies of moths and butterflies. His work helped bring a more vivid, decorative style to English natural history illustration.
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About the author
Benjamin Wilkes was an 18th-century artist and naturalist working in London, remembered best for The English Moths and Butterflies. He originally worked as a painter of history scenes and portraits, but his interests shifted after encountering the study of butterflies and moths through the Aurelian Society.
Wilkes devoted himself to observing, drawing, and coloring insects with unusual care. His plates were admired not just for their scientific value, but also for their beauty, combining close study of nature with an artist’s eye for color and composition.
Very little is firmly known about his life, and even his birth year is uncertain, but sources agree that he died around 1749, shortly after completing the work for which he is now best known.