In the earliest days of the Linnean period, the number of known species of Lepidoptera was very small. As the 18th century closed, the number of species described had increased, as had the difficulties being experienced in identifying closely allied species by means only of the brief Latin descriptors that had previously been considered sufficient. Entomologists now needed works with accurate colored illustrations from which it would be possible to determine with certainty the identification of species so far named. What was needed was someone who was both an entomologist and a skilled draftsman and who was prepared to devote his skills to the publication of illustrated works on entomology.

These skills were combined in Jacob Hübner (1761-1826.) At a time when the serious study of natural science was confined to academics and those with the leisure afforded by family money, Hübner was an anomaly. For most of his adult life, he worked as a draftsman and engraver at a cotton mill in Augsburg, Germany, creating designs for printing on fabrics. Hübner’s passion for lepidoptery, combined with his drawing and classification skills, resulted in groundbreaking books that furnished a foundation for the identification of butterflies and moths.