Entomologist, Engraver, and Artist Jacob Hübner (1761–1826)

Don Herbison-Evans (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley

Hübner was not a wealthy academic; he worked full-time as a master designer, draftsman, and engraver at a textile and cotton mill in Augsburg, Germany. His day job involved etching and engraving intricate patterns onto blocks and cylinders for printing fabrics. He transferred these exact professional skills to his independent scientific research.

Jacob Hübner draw, engraved, printed, and coloured his plates himself, painting the engraved prints by hand. He did not rely on an external commercial printing house for his illustrations.

Following Hübner's death in 1826, his copper plates, printing equipment, and unfinished manuscripts were managed by his assistant, the artist Carl Geyer.

Copies of some illustrations in this website drawn, engraved by Jacob Hübner


ACONTIINAE

Micraeschus rufipallens

Microedma extorris

ACONTIINAE

Spodoptera exigua

Australian butterflies

Australian Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera artists

Australian moths

(written 5 August 2026, updated 20 August 2026)