Pratt v. Sowerby

ANNE PRATT versus JOHN SOWERBY

A box of papers held by the library of the Natural History Museum, London, gives evidence of an altercation between Anne Pratt and the botanical illustrator, John Edward Sowerby. It gives an interesting sidelight on Anne's character, as well as showing her handwriting.

In the box are 35 leaves with two or more plates. On each leaf is pasted a plate from Pratt's The Ferns of Great Britain (1855). Pasted at the sides, so they can be lifted, are plates from a book of the same title by John E. Sowerby and Charles Johnson (text by Johnson, illustrations by Sowerby dated 1855).

It is apparent that Sowerby complained to the publisher that Pratt had plagiarised some of his illustrations. This box of papers is Pratt's response to this complaint, as on 20 of the leaves there are handwritten comments, some phrases being double-underlined for emphasis.

As an example, take her comments on Polypodium phegopteris, the Beech-fern. There are three plates pasted on the sheet, Pratt's, Sowerby's, and one from an earlier publication. “An assumption. On closely comparing the two the difference will be manifest. I am much inclined to think that Mr Sowerby's whole plant is copied from the one published in 1810. Mine is from nature.”

Asplenium spp., two Spleenwort species (illustrated). “Mr Sowerby appears to be right as far as concerns the frond marked A but no further. To call this an infringement of copyright is childish. [!] Mr Sowerby's Adiantum nigrum is a tracing from a plate published in 1809...”.

These continue in the same vein, accusing Sowerby of copying from plates published from 1790 to 1811. Her exasperation with his accusations comes through. “Mr Sowerby's own plates are slavish copies...If Mr Sowerby were right the objection is contemptible but he is wrong...Mr Sowerby is right here but I blush to think that an artist can notice such a trifle [!]...I am at a loss here to trace the likeness [between my plate and his] but if I could I should reply that Mr Sowerby's is a facsimile of a plate published as far back as 1790...”.

She becomes exasperated. “I am sorry for Mr Sowerby's character (he professing to give the public a new book) to say that each of the prints in his present book are facsimiles reversed [!] from publications of 1793. 1802 and 1811.”

We are grateful to Andrea Hart of the Natural History Museum for drawing our attention to this archive.