Schiffermüller's "Wiener Verzeichnis" - new findings on its history and its iconographic impact

What is it about?

In preparation of an illustrated reprint of the "Wiener Verzeichnis" Schiffermüller created an album of more than 400 watercolors of lepidoptera pupae, larvae, and plants. These depictions are the only remaining evidence of the famous lepidoptera collection that was lost in a fire in1848. Schiffermüller's images had - through the mediation of the Augsburg entomologist and illustrator Jacob Hübner (1761–1826) - a significant impact on later entomological illustrations. Given the lifelikeness of the illustrations, the species were determined with current scientific names to render them accessible to entomological research.

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Why is it important?

Our findings not only shed new light on the practices of early entomology but also illustrate that the very naturalistic images created by Schiffermüller had the power to impact caterpillar illustrations even more than a century later.