Henry Edwards (August 27, 1827 – June 9, 1891), known as "Harry", was an English-born stage actor, writer and entomologist who gained fame in Australia, San Francisco and New York City for his theatre work. He was drawn to theatre early in life and appeared in amateur productions in London. After sailing to Australia, Edwards appeared professionally in Shakespearean plays and light comedies. Throughout his time in England and Australia, he collected insects, and the National Museum of Victoria used the results of his Australian fieldwork as part of the genesis of their collection.
Edwards was a founding member of the Bohemian Club in San Francisco and, after writing a series of influential studies on Pacific coast Lepidoptera, he was elected life member of the California Academy of Sciences. He gained further theatrical renown in New York City, where he also edited three volumes of the journal Papilio and published a major work on butterflies. His large collection of specimens laid the foundation of the American Museum of Natural History's Lepidoptera studies. Edwards' appreciation of Shakespeare was expressed in the designation of new insect species, favouring female character names from Shakespeare's plays. (Full article...)