[NHCOLL-L:1308] RE: Old Gold times..

[Michael Cooper]

There is a long history of such companies in Europe and America. In the 19th
century London was the world's clearing house for natural history specimens
via dealers, auctioneers, museums and private collectors. There is quite and
extensive - if scattered literature - on the subject. The archives of one of
the most well-known of insect suppliers (Janson's) is preserved in the
Entomology Library of the Natural History Museum in London. The NHM also has
the best collection of catalogues of sales of the natural history
auctioneers J.C. Stevens (and others), who held many sales of insects (see
ALLINGHAM, Emily G. (1924) A Romance of the rostrum, being the business life
of Henry Stevens ... together with some account of famous sales... Witherby,
London; and CHALMERS-HUNT, J.M. (1976) Natural History auctions 1700-1972. A
register of sales in the British Isles. Sotheby Parke Burnet, London.)

Original dealers catalogues, such as you describe, are quite rare. I've been
researching British mineral and fossil dealers for years and have found very
few surviving catalogues - or other business documents for that matter. In
the course of this work I've also got involved in the whole context of
natural history dealers and the same situation pertains throughout. I'm
hoping to collate a list of all London-based natural history dealers of
whatever persuasion as part of a study of the development of the "Natural
History District" of Covent Garden - but it's a long job!

"Talking of moths" by P.B.M. Allan (1943, reprinted 1975) has a couple of
chapters on the antics of dealers and auction-room insect hunting of the
late 19th early 20th C which you might find interesting.

Mick

Michael P. Cooper
Registrar, Nottingham Museums & Galleries
Direct Line: 0115 915 3671
Fax: 0115 915 3601