Pennant, Thomas (1726-1798)

Thomas Pennant was one of the foremost naturalists, travel writers, and antiquarians of the early 18th century. Drawn to the study of natural history at a young age, he dedicated many years to education and research. Pennant made the acquaintance of several well known individuals, including Linnaeus and Darwin, and in 1757, Linnaeus insisted on his election as a member of the Royal Swedish Society of Sciences. In 1766, Pennant published his first work, “The British Zoology”. While it did not introduce new theories or ideas, this work was famous for encouraging and popularizing the study of natural history. The magnificent plates in that work were engraved by Peter Mazell, after drawings by Peter Paillou and others.

Prints from this publication are extremely rare. They are finely detailed images, and feature superb original hand coloring.