Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper (1742 – 1810)

A German entomologist that devoted himself to the study of nature and the preparation of manuscripts relating to natural history.

He was the author of a series of booklets entitled Die Schmetterlinge in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen which were published between 1776 and 1807. These were richly illustrated; minerals, birds, plants, shells and insects being presented on 438 hand-coloured plates.

He published between 1829 and 1830 a new edition of the publications Die europäischen Schmetterlinge and Die ausländischen Schmetterlinge with Toussaint de Charpentier.