Plate XXXIII “Catopsilia, Pyrameis” from The Butterfly Book, by William J. Holland, 1898. The illustration depicts five species of butterflies, commonly known as painted ladies, orange sulphurs, and common emigrants.
Holland had a life long interest in lepidopterology - the study of butterflies and moths - and helped to make their study and observation popular in the first half of the 20th century through his two books, The Butterfly Book (1898) and The Moth Book (1903), both of which are still widely used today. He served as Director of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, to which he donated his private collection of butterflies and moths, exceeding 250,000 specimens.
The bookplate inside the front cover of The Butterfly Book confirms it was kept in the Glessners’ library at their summer estate, The Rocks, in New Hampshire, where they were able to observe a seemingly endless variety of butterflies and moths.