Charles Henry Turner Sketch

 

5x8

colored pencil in sketchbook

So, just in time for Black History Month, I have learned about an entomologist that I had never heard of before after beginning to read Peter Kuper's Insectology. And quite frankly, that shouldn't be, since what this man, Charles Henry Turner (1867-1923) studied and wrote about is right up my alley, so to speak. 

Turner studied the intelligence of arthropods, that bees talked to one another and can recognize colors, that ants are not just robotic, reactionary creatures, but have individual personalities, that spiders are smart... I could go on. I've been doing some internet dives and seeking anything I can about the man and hoping to find some books that he wrote, but there isn't much out there, sadly. I did find a small book and it's on its way and there is a children's book at my local library, so I'll check that out the next time I go. I will have to do a deeper dive into his published research papers. That stuff sounds fascinating.

And, of course, since he was a black man living in the times that he lived in, it was hard for him to overcome the usual obstacles. 

I'd like to add that if you are familiar with Peter Kuper's work (Mad magazine, The New Yorker, etc), check out Insectology. It's a large graphic novel that is wonderfully drawn and written. My reading list has grown from just what I've read so far.