Study of a weevil

Ann Lee’s access to her father’s plant nursery and insect collection gave her rare opportunities to study natural specimens firsthand. Though excluded from formal training, she learned from botanical illustrator Sidney Parkinson and created skilled watercolours that still remain largely unrecognised.

Watercolour was considered more appropriate for women artists, as it was seen as cleaner and less physically demanding than oil paint.

Geoffrey Hancock of The Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow, shared his research into the life and works of Ann Lee on RAMM Collections Explorer.

Visual description: a detailed watercolour study of a weevil on a blank page. The shell is blue green with a strong black outline emphasising its segments. In contrast, outline of the body and legs is softer, with a less definitive edge. Black dots ringed with yellow pattern the shell. The same yellow highlights accentuate the mouth and feet. The weevil’s eyes and antennae are a stark black. A soft shadow beneath the insect gives it a sense of three dimensionality.