By Daniel Fulco, Ph.D., Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator

To mark the special exhibition Art, Fashion, Symbol, Statement: Tattooing in America, 1960s to Today (on view through October 13, 2024),we hope that you enjoy this print in our collection. If you visit the museum, this work is on view in the exhibition.

John Obadiah Westwood (English, 1805–93)
Ornithopterus Poseidon, 1854, plate 28 from
The Cabinet of Oriental Entomology, published by W. Smith, London, 1854–55
Hand-colored lithograph on paper
9.5675 x 7.25 in.
Collection of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts
Gift of Margaret M. Buchholz, A2755,92.0303
 
In this print, a butterfly is pollinating a flower while another one in flight prepares to land on the plant. In a manner similar to other artist-naturalists of the mid-1800s, Westwood was intrigued by these animals, and their ecosystem. Here, he depicted a species of butterfly that inhabits Darnley Island (near Queensland, Australia).
 
Like John James Audubon (1785–1851, whose work is also on display in Art, Fashion, Symbol, Statement: Tattooing in America 1960s to Today, Westwood sought to document animals in their habitats with remarkable detail and accuracy throughout his career. However, he worked as an entomologist and archaeologist, focusing on depictions of insects instead of birds. Although he never travelled widely, Westwood described and represented species from around the world based upon the close study of specimens, especially larger, unusual, and colorful species obtained by other naturalists and collectors in England. He published several illustrated works on insects and antiquities, including An Introduction the Modern Classification of Insects (1839). Among the first entomologists to hold an academic position at Oxford University, Westwood was a natural theologian and strongly opposed scientist Charles Darwin’s (1809–82) ideas about evolutionary biology.
 
Influenced by scientific illustrations like Westwood’s Ornithopterus Poseidon, tattoo artist Adelina Mai is a micro-realist who employs fine black linework in her drawings (see below) and completed tattoos. These designs derive from her fascination with flora and fauna, which she depicts with remarkable naturalism and precision. Note Mai’s exceptional attention to detail and masterful use of color, which she uses to great effect in capturing the realism and tangibility of the tulips, lavender, butterflies, and ladybug. The insect on the lower left of second drawing closely resembles a green dragontail (a species of swallowtail butterfly), a type noted for its very large, white-tipped tail.

Adelina Mai (American)
Butterfly and tulip flash, 2022
Pen and ink on paper, synthetic skin
11 x 8.5675 in.
Collection of the artist

Butterfly and tulip flash, 2022
Pen and ink on paper
11 x 8.5675 in
Collection of the artist

Tattoo on woman’s bicep, 2022