William Jones (naturalist)

William Jones (1745–1818) was an English naturalist and entomologist.[1]

Jones was a wealthy wine merchant in London. His interest in natural history led to his being elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London in 1791. He died in Chelsea, London.

He is best known for Jones Icones 1,500 watercolours of butterflies and some moths which is conserved in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.[2] It was never published. Jones Icones illustrates specimens from the collections of Dru Drury, Joseph Banks and John Francillon as well as a few from the British Museum and Linnean Society collections. Portions of Jones' own collection was illustrated by Elisabeth Denyer in a manuscript she later donated to the British Library.[3]

References

1. Vane-Wright, R. I. (2010). "William Jones (1745–1818), Chelsea and the need for a digital online Icones". Antenna. 34 (1). Royal Entomological Society. pp. 16–21.
2. Webb, Julie (March 2014). "William's butterflies". Oxfordshire Limited Edition: 125.
3. Drimmer, Sonja; Vane-Wright, R. I. (2012-01-01). "Elizabeth Denyer's paintings of William Jones' British butterflies: their discovery and significance". Antenna. 36 (4): 239–246.