Charlotte De Bernier Taylor
Born1806 (1806)
Savannah, Georgia
DiedNovember 26, 1865(1865-11-26) (aged 58–59)
Isle of Man
EducationMadam Binze's School
OccupationEntomologist
Spouse
James Taylor
​
(m. 1829)​
Children3
Signature

Charlotte De Bernier Scarbrough Taylor (August 4, 1806 – November 26, 1865) was an American entomologist.[1]

Life

Born in Savannah, Georgia in 1806, daughter of William Scarbrough, and Julia (née Bernard), Taylor was educated at Madam Binze's School in New York, after which she made a tour of Europe.[2] On her return to Georgia in 1829, she married James Taylor, a wealthy merchant,[2][3] with whom she had two daughters and one son, lived in Savannah as a person of means, raised the family and became involved in social affairs, scientific studies and writing.

Just before the start of the American Civil War, Taylor went to England to write a book about plantation life, but died on the Isle of Man of tuberculosis on November 26, 1865.[3]

Works

During the 1830s, Taylor began to study insects seriously, publishing her findings in general literary magazines.[3] She studied insects related to cotton growing for fifteen years before publishing in American magazines, notably Harper's New Monthly Magazine, in the 1850s. She also investigated insects related to wheat. She is thought to have published about 19 articles in all, including the following.[3]

  • "The Flea." Harper's New Monthly Magazine 19 (June–November 1859):178-189 (This article as well as Taylor's earlier work published in this magazine is unsigned, which was true for all articles in this magazine until volume 20.[3])

Articles written by Charlotte Taylor (many of which include illustrations): The Musquito Family, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 18, pages 32 – 43 Flies, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 18, pages 729 – 740 The Flea, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 19, pages 178 – 189 Insects Destructive To Wheat, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 20, pages 38 – 52 The Silk-Worm, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 20, pages 753 – 764 Insects Belonging To The Cotton Plant, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 21, pages 37 – 51 Spiders: Their Structure And Habits, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 21, pages 461-477 Unwelcome Guests, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 22, pages 30 - 46 More About Spiders, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 22, pages 323 – 335 A Chapter on Mites, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 22, pages 607 – 614 Insects Destructive Of Maize, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 23, pages 317 – 326 Pets, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 23, pages 519 – 524 Night Revelers, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 23, pages 770 – 776 An Orthopterian Defense, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 24, pages 490 – 496 A Notable Congress, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 25, pages 732 – 745 Musicians Of Field And Meadow, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 26, pages 495 – 500 Insects Injurious To Fruit, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 26, pages 827 – 833 Insects Injurious To The Vine, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 27, pages 61 – 66 Soundings, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine,Volume 29, pages 179 – 186 Under A Glass, Manx Sun, 4/25/1863 What I Found In A Morning Walk, Manx Sun, 1/17/1863 American Agriculturist 1860-04: Vol 19 Iss 3, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. I, Pg 80 – 81 American Agriculturist 1860-04: Vol 19 Iss 4, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. II, Pg 108 – 109 American Agriculturist 1860-05: Vol 19 Iss 5, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. III, Pg 140 – 141 American Agriculturist 1860-06: Vol 19 Iss 6, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. IV, Pg 172 - 173 American Agriculturist 1860-10: Vol 19 Iss 9, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. V, Pg 268 American Agriculturist 1860-10: Vol 19 Iss 10, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. VI, Pg 300 – 301 American Agriculturist 1860-10: Vol 19 Iss 11, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. VII, Pg 332 - 333 American Agriculturist 1860-12: Vol 19 Iss 12, Microscopic Views of the Insect World. VIII, Pg 360

Charlotte also wrote and illustrated a book published by Saunders, Otley, & Co. in 1859 titled "Scenes In Southern Plantation Life".

Taylor used powerful magnifying glasses to study insects and illustrated her articles with intricate drawings, in which endeavour she was assisted by her daughters.[3] She published a study on the silkworm and wrote about the natural history and anatomy of spiders. On her journey to England she made microscopic studies of sea water.

Taylor is recognized as having produced significant and accurate work that is of high quality. This work may not have been recognized due to the fact that she published in popular magazines and wrote in entertaining literary style.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Elliott, Clark A; Kohlstedt, Sally Gregory (1979). Biographical Dictionary of American Science: The Seventeenth Through the Nineteenth Centuries. Westport and London: Greenwood Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-313-20419-7.
  2. 1 2 Hannan, Caryn (January 1, 1999). Georgia Biographical Dictionary. State History Publications. p. 359. ISBN 9781878592422. Retrieved May 4, 2021 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey; Harvey, Joy Dorothy (2000). The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science: L-Z. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415920407.
  4. ↑ Sorensen, W. C. (1995). Brethren of the Net: American Entomology, 1840–1880. University of Alabama Press.
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