The Natural History illustrations of Arnold Henfrey Watson

Small in stature and slight of frame; Arnold Henfrey Watson led a demanding outdoor life. New Plymouth born in 1882, he moved to Australia for a few years, droving in New South Wales and later in Tasmania, where his grandparents resided. Returning to New Zealand, he took up farming in Shannon, bush-felling in Hawkes Bay, and shepherding on large stations in the Gisborne region. He and his brother Spencer broke in a large block of undeveloped land in the Pongakawa Valley, Te Puke. They felled a rimu and built a homestead from split slabs and shingles, far from the nearest road and neighbour. A keen observer of the natural world he had a love of sketching and painting what he observed.

With the onset of World War I, he travelled to the Rotorua recruiting office to enlist, where he was drafted into the Auckland Mounted Rifles before being transferred to the 15th NZ Company of Imperial Camel Corps in Egypt and Palestine. During his service, he participated in key campaigns across the Sinai and Palestine regions, secretly documenting the landscapes and wildlife through sketches in a series of diaries, against army regulations. Some of his illustrations made their way into the ‘Kia Ora Coo-ee’, the magazine produced in Cairo for ANZAC troops in the Middle East. Stumpy, the camel assigned to him, featured in at least one of these. These diaries make up part of Ams 294 and until recently were the only artistic records we had of his. 

Arnold aboard Stumpy, Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo 11-168

The passionate natural historian he was, he continues to captured detailed watercolours of insects, spiders, and fish after successful fishing trips later in life.  The illustrations reveal his efforts to capture each species' local and scientific names, a difficult task in the 1930s to 1950s.  Modern marine biology students might be interested in his observation of local species during that time. His family cherished these natural history illustrations but they were nearly lost when a fire broke out within a moving van between Wellington and Christchurch. The works survived, but not without sustaining some smoke damage. 

Arnold's granddaughters at the Tauranga Archives with Heritage Specialist Harley Couper, in 2024.

In April 2024, two of 'Bang’s' granddaughters, as he was affectionately known, donated a significant collection of his natural history illustrations to our archive. These are now part of Ams 507, which was digitised in September of 2024. 

"Sepioteuthis bilineata", an older name for "Sepioteuthis australis", commonly known as Ngū, the Southern Reef Squid or Southern Calamari

 

1 of 79 colour illustrations on card featuring various butterfly and moth specimens collected mostly in the Bay of Plenty

Arnold Henfrey Watson retired to Mount Maunganui when his asthma made it difficult to keep working.  He died suddenly in 1960 while swimming at Puru near Thames.