Dru Drury

Born in London on February 4, 1725, he worked as a silversmith before devoting himself more fully to natural history. Over the years he assembled a remarkable insect collection through contacts with travelers, ship officers, and collectors working in many parts of the world.

He is best remembered for Illustrations of Natural History and Illustrations of Exotic Entomology, richly illustrated works that described and pictured insects from outside Britain. These books helped make him one of the best-known entomologists of his day and are still valued for both their scientific and artistic importance.

Sources consulted during this research agree on his importance as a collector and writer, though they do not all match on the exact year of his death. Wikipedia gives January 15, 1804, while some catalog and authority records list 1803, so it is safest to note that he died in the early 1800s after a long career in natural history.