Henry De la Beche was one of the foremost geologists in Britain in the 1820s, 30s, and 40s. This was a period early in the field's establishment, after Hutton but before Darwin, as it was becoming systematized and professionalized. With a continuous stream of new and exciting finds concerning Earth's antiquity and the history of life, geology itself was enjoying a public popularity that it had never known before, and arguably never has since. De la Beche was the founder and first director of the British Geological Survey. He was also, in his off-time, a cartoonist.
He drew cartoons in letters, in his diary, in the back of a field book -- even on a proof copy of his textbook. He used the cartoons to express frustrations about his job and to poke fun at the theories of his scientific rivals. These cartoons therefore represent an unusual resource for understanding the views and biases of one of early Geology's leading researchers, with regards to some of the period's most compelling debates.
Unfortunately, while many of his cartoons are available scattered across several publications, as far as I can tell no one has tried to put them all together in one place online. That is the purpose of this page.
This collection is not complete: I am not a researcher, and I do not have access to De la Beche's various diverse letters and journals. I am only collecting here what others have seen fit to reprint. As far as I am aware, all of the following pre-1900 images are in the public domain.
For more information about De la Beche (including the extremely unsavory), see this page.
For more on other historical figures mentioned, see this page.
For the latest updates, see this page (last update 5-10-20).
For a list of sources, see this page.
His opponents are also often shown wearing fancy formal clothing, ill-suited to outdoor work. His protagonists wear practical field gear. The implication is that his opponents were merely armchair speculators. This was an unfair characterization, as they were in fact just as capable in the field as he was.
It is possible that De la Beche's cursive has not been correctly interpreted in all cases. Any suggestions for improved transcription are gratefully welcome!
I'm in a hurry. What are the five essential cartoons?
Check out: Awful Changes, Behold my Book, Preconceived Opinions v. Facts, Opportunity of Studying Rain, and Proposal for Geological Society Coat of Arms.
(A) Against Lyell
For background on De la Beche's beef against Lyell, see Here.
The very brief sketch is that Lyell's famous book, Principles of Geology, had just been published. De la Beche felt that Lyell was inappropriately putting theory before hard data.
The black-and-white sketches:
All of the black-and-white sketches in this section come from the back pages of a field book, and were first described in a 1975 paper by Martin Rudwick. Some of the sketches may have been left substantially unfinished, and some are difficult to interpret. They were presumably never meant to be published.
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President Crocodile and Meeting (1831)  |  |  |
(B) Against Murchison
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(C) Against Agassiz
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(D) For His Friends
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(E) Professional Frustrations
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(F) Scientific Satire
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(G) Political Cartoons
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Seeing the Raphaels at the Vatican (1829) |
(H) Other Images
Travels in Europe (1820, 1829) |
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(I) Duria Antiquior
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(K) Other Geological Cartoonists
Henry De la Beche was not the only geological-cartoonist of his era. This is a collection of cartoons by other early geologists.
If you know of any other cartoons that ought be included in this collection, please let me know! Leave a comment on any page, or send an email to the address on the about page.
If you know of any other cartoons that ought be included in this collection, please let me know! Leave a comment on any page, or send an email to the address on the about page.
By William Conybeare
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By Thomas Sopwith
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Taking Leave of Sir Joseph Banks (c. 1820)  By August Breüner | Expedition to Shotover (Unlisted Date)  By August Breüner (?) | Halle, 1822 (c. 1822)  By August Breüner (?) |
Prof. Buckland and the Octopus (c. 1822)  By August Breüner (?) |
Geology [The Mammoth of my Dream] (early 19th C)  By an unknown Fellow of the Geological Society of London |
