Cellularia Cuspidata

Arthur Bartholomew (1834 - 1909)

Bartholomew was born in Bruton, Somerset shire, in 1834. Although little is known about his early life,Bartholomew apprenticed as an engraver in Exeter and had lithographic training before leaving for Australia in 1852 at 18 years of age. Arriving in Melbourne on the Oriental, in December that year he set off to explore the bush before sailing to Tasmania, where he met his future wife, Eliza Ann Nicholls. He soon returned to Melbourne to assist William Blandowski in illustrating specimens for his encyclopaedia on the natural history of Australia. When Blandowski set off on an expedition on the Murray River, Bartholomew remained in Melbourne. With Blandowski in self-imposed exile following his conflict with fellow members of the Philosophical Institute, Bartholomew returned to Longford, Tasmania, marrying Eliza in 1856. They had two children in quick succession, Christianna (1857) and Adelina (1858), before returning to Melbourne where Arthur took up the position which defined his professional career. On 1 September 1859 Bartholomew was appointed Attendant in the department of Natural History at the newly-opened Melbourne University. For the next six months he attended McCoy's lectures and assisted in the laboratory, his role expanding in 1860 to take advantage of his artistic ability. McCoy obviously saw Bartholomew's potential for the ambitious projects which lay ahead. Bartholomew began both a zoological and geology series for McCoy which would form the basis of the Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria and Prodromus of the Palaeontology of Victoria. During the following four decades he illustrated more than 700 zoological specimens.

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James Ripper (1840 - 1916)

Born in Cornwall Ripper's Prodromus contribution was limited to the Bryozoan plates, as he worked exclusively for Paul Howard McGillivray. It is unclear whether this professional arrangement was due to anything other than geography. The arts-centric Ripper would likely have crossed paths with McGillivray at the Bendigo Institute, where the latter was both founder and an influential member. James Ripper was first employed in the lithography of the Bryozoan plates for decade five, published in 1880. Within five years this had developed to the stage where he and McGillivray co-drafted the illustrations for decade ten, but Ripper ceased drafting for the final six decades, although he continued the lithography. This may have been due to the rather simplistic nature of Ripper's drafting, or simply McGillivray's frugality in the economic climate of the late 1880s. But as has been noted, Ripper's rendering, whilst simpler than earlier works, was much larger and clearer. While it appears Ripper did no other lithographic or drafting work in his lifetime, he had a lucrative career as an instrument tuner. At the conclusion of the Prodromus, he returned to an amateur interest in art.

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