Howe, William H.

William H. Howe became interested in butterflies at a young age while tagging along on field trips with his father, an entomologist with the US Department of Agriculture. His life has been focused on lepidoptera ever since, both scientifically and artistically. His magnificently detailed paintings of butterflies are held in many collections, including at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

In early elementary school Howe began collecting butterflies and moths. This became a passion, and he also began to make detailed drawings of his specimens. When he was eleven years old his grade school teacher noticed the sketchbook and brought it to the attention of the school principal. They were astounded by the quality of the artwork and suggested to his parents that the young prodigy be allowed to leave public school to enroll in an art institute. Howe attended West Coast Institute of Art at Berkeley for one year, then the family moved to Ottawa, Kansas in 1942.

After graduating from Ottawa University in 1951 with a degree in Biology, Howe enrolled at Kansas City Art Institute where he met the owner of a local publishing company. Impressed with his work, the owner persuaded Howe to write and illustrate a book he would publish. The resulting book, Our Butterflies and Moths, was released in 1963 by True Color Publishing Co. of Kansas City. Some years later Doubleday Publishing Company officials saw that book and commissioned Howe to illustrate and edit a book for them entitled Butterflies of North America . The highly-respected book was released in 1975. Howe also did the butterfly section of Reader's Digest North American Wildlife published in 1982.

In addition to doing illustrations for books, Howe produces about 25 paintings each year. He has traveled extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Canada and the United States. His paintings provide not only accurate renditions of the butterfly but also of its environment. In 1962 Howe had a one-man exhibition at the Denver Museum, and in 1969 he donated several paintings of Rocky Mountain butterfly species as a token of appreciation for numerous enjoyable summers working in Colorado and Wyoming. His artwork has been displayed in many museums around North America, including the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.

From the guide to the Butterfly Paintings, 1960-1966, (Denver Museum of Nature & Science)