Jonas David Labram
Who was Jonas David Labram?
Swiss botanist, entomologist and illustrator (1785-1852)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Jonas David Labram (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Jonas David Labram (born Labran; February 3, 1785 – April 3, 1852) was a Swiss botanical illustrator and naturalist who spent much of his time in and around Basel. His family was involved in the cloth and dyeing industry of Neuchâtel, with a history in bleaching and textile production going back to the early 1700s. Labram himself lived in Chézard-Saint-Martin in the Val-de-Ruz before eventually moving back to Basel, where he nurtured his keen interest in botany and scientific illustration.
Labram made valuable contributions to the understanding of the plants in his area by identifying several new plant species in the Basel region. These finds were included in the local flora compendium by Swiss botanist Carl Friedrich Hagenbach (1771–1849), giving Labram's fieldwork a lasting scientific record. He also created 38 illustrations for an undated work on Swiss poisonous plants by Johannes Jacob Hegetschweiler. A publication in 1842 marked the end of his most active time as a botanical illustrator.
Later in his career, Labram focused on entomology, working with Ludwig Imhoff to create hand-colored pictures of insects. His daughter Luise helped him with this work, and the family managed on limited finances; his wife supported the family by working as a laundress. Despite these challenges, Labram also taught students, including Rudolf Preiswerk (1810–1851), who later became a teacher at a local grammar school in Basel.
Labram's illustrations were widely reproduced during and after his life, often without credit, which has made his name less known compared to the reach of his work. His work included botanical illustrations, guides to poisonous plants, and insect lithographs, showing his broad curiosity across the natural sciences. He died on April 3, 1852, and was buried at St. Theodor in Basel. His wife lived until 1862, while his two daughters passed away in 1864 and 1872 respectively.
Before Fame
Labram was born into a family involved in the textile trades of Neuchâtel. The Labran family had been engaged in bleaching and dyeing since at least the early 1700s when Joshua Labran's widow set up a bleaching operation by the Seyon river with the help of a Huguenot partner named J. J. Deluze. The dyeing industry in the area grew a lot in the following decades, and Labram grew up in this business and craft environment.
Instead of joining the family trade, Labram was drawn to nature, developing skills in botanical observation and scientific drawing. He lived for a while in Chézard-Saint-Martin in the Val-de-Ruz, a rural area ideal for botanical fieldwork. His careful observation and artistic skills made him a valued contributor to regional natural history projects, eventually leading to collaborations with established scientists like Hagenbach and Hegetschweiler.
Key Achievements
- Discovered several plant species new to science in the Basel region, recorded in Hagenbach's regional flora
- Produced 38 scientific plates for Hegetschweiler's work on the poisonous plants of Switzerland
- Created hand-colored entomological lithographs in collaboration with Ludwig Imhoff
- Trained students in scientific illustration, including Rudolf Preiswerk
- Contributed botanical and entomological illustrations across multiple published natural history works spanning several decades
Did You Know?
- 01.Labram's family surname was originally spelled 'Labran,' and the change to 'Labram' appears to have occurred during his own lifetime.
- 02.His 38 illustrations for Hegetschweiler's book on Swiss poisonous plants were produced for a volume that was never formally dated upon publication.
- 03.Labram's wife worked as a laundress to help support the household while he produced scientific illustrations, suggesting his artistic work alone was not financially sufficient.
- 04.His daughter Luise assisted him directly in producing the hand-colored entomological lithographs he created with Ludwig Imhoff.
- 05.Despite the wide circulation of his botanical illustrations during the nineteenth century, Labram was frequently not credited, leaving much of his work attributed anonymously in reprints.