Larvae and pupae of cheese flies
Date
7 September 1700
Creator
Henry Hunt (British) , Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p5
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 303mm
width (page): 192mm
width (page): 192mm
Subject
Description
Four figures in a letter from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Hans Sloane.
The drawings are believed to be made by Henry Hunt, keeper of the Royal Society's library since 1696, according to the archive reference as well as the editors of the Van Leeuwenhoek letters.
Van Leeuwenhoek does not mention drawings in his letter (whereas he usually refers to them extensively), yet he mentions that he sent the original flies and pupae with his letter, folded in small pieces of paper. It is therefore believed that he did not send images with this letter, but that the images were made in London, potentially from the specimen he sent.
Fig. 1: pupa of cheese fly
Fig. 2: cheese fly
Fig. 3: pupa of cheese fly
Fig. 4: cheese fly.
The drawings are believed to be made by Henry Hunt, keeper of the Royal Society's library since 1696, according to the archive reference as well as the editors of the Van Leeuwenhoek letters.
Van Leeuwenhoek does not mention drawings in his letter (whereas he usually refers to them extensively), yet he mentions that he sent the original flies and pupae with his letter, folded in small pieces of paper. It is therefore believed that he did not send images with this letter, but that the images were made in London, potentially from the specimen he sent.
Fig. 1: pupa of cheese fly
Fig. 2: cheese fly
Fig. 3: pupa of cheese fly
Fig. 4: cheese fly.
Transcription
The top of the page reads:
These are the produce of Maguts in Cheese
and from the teeth sent by Mr Lewenhocke
1700
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
These are the produce of Maguts in Cheese
and from the teeth sent by Mr Lewenhocke
1700
Transcribed by the Making Visible project
Object history
13 November 1700, 'A letter from Mr Anth: van Lewenhoek dated Delft Sept the 7th 1700 to Dr Sloane was read in which he gave a full account of the production of two maggotts, one of which was taken out of a tooth, the other out of cheese, which afterward turned to flyes together with the generation of these small Insects and the sketches of them, which were delivered to Mr Hunt' (JBO/10/200).
The letter was printed in Phil. Trans. vol. 22, no. 265 (1701), pp. 640-42, but without the images.
The Dutch and Latin editions of the letter also did not contain the images.
The letter was printed in Phil. Trans. vol. 22, no. 265 (1701), pp. 640-42, but without the images.
The Dutch and Latin editions of the letter also did not contain the images.
Related fellows
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723, Dutch) , Naturalist
Associated place