Title: Lithograph of the Squaloraia [Squaloraja]

Creator: George Scharf after Charles Weber

Description: The front part of the fossil fish Squaloraja was found by Mary Anning at the end of December 1829. The original fossil was purchased by John Naish Sanders (c.1777-1870) and donated to the Bristol Institution. It was there that it came to the attention of the physician Dr Henry Riley (1797-1847) who published the first scientific description of the new fish in the Geological Society’s Proceedings in 1833. The final paper was published with this illustration as: Riley, H “On the Squaloraia”, ‘Transactions of the Geological Society of London’, Series 2, vol 5 (1837), pp83-88.

The black and white image is copied not from the original artwork which the Society now holds but from the coloured lithograph which appeared in Agassiz, J L R. ‘Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles’ (1833-1843/1844), Vol 3, Tab 42, livraison issued 1836.

Date: 1837

Format: Lithograph

Image reference: 27-20

Recommended print size: Up to 20 x 16 inches (50 x 40cm)