Kapellen / Derde plaat. Dagkapellen / Nachtkapellen c. 1843 - 1920

This is Plate 3 from Ernst Fröhlich’s series ‘Chapels,’ printed in the Netherlands. The lithograph depicts an assortment of butterflies and moths, separating them into day and night categories. In the 19th century, classifying and cataloging nature became a popular scientific pursuit, often displayed through detailed illustrations. Beyond scientific documentation, however, these images held cultural value. They reflect a growing interest in the natural world, coupled with the idea of imposing order on the complexities of the natural world. The printing house responsible for publishing this work, C. Wolf, specialized in educational materials and further suggests the social context of this image and its connection to institutions of learning. To fully understand this work, one could consult natural history publications from the period, museum collections of insect specimens, and even explore how the printing industry itself evolved to meet the demand for such detailed visual representations. By studying the social context, we can start to see how art and science intersect and shape our understanding of the world.