William Curtis
British, 1746 - 1799
William Curtis (1746-1799) was an English botanist and entomologist. His first career was as an apothecary, but subsequently focussed on natural history. He became an author in his mid twenties, publishing a treatise on collecting and preserving insects. He worked as at the Chelsea Physic Garden from 1771 to 1777, but then established his own London Botanic Garden in 1779. He began publishing 'The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed' an illustrated botanical publication, in 1787. It has become the longest published botanical magazine in history, still published currently. William Curtis was precise in his approach to the research and illustration of plants for the journal.
