| AdminHistory | Sydenham Teast [sometimes Teak] Edwards (1768 – 8 February 1819) was a natural history illustrator.
Edwards was born in 1768 in Usk, Monmouthshire, the son of Lloyd Pittell Edwards, a schoolmaster and organist, and his wife, Mary Reese, who had been married on 26 September 1765 at Llantilio Crossenny Church and where Sydenham was christened in 1768. Sydenham had a talent for draughtmanship and at only 11 years old had copied plates from books for his own enjoyment. His work was seen by a Mr. Denman, who then spoke to a friend, William Curtis, a publisher of botanical works, and founder of the Curtis's Botanical Magazine, about the boy. Curtis proceeded to have Edwards trained in botany and botanical illustration. He illustrated Cynographica Britannica 1800 (an encyclopaedic compendium of dog breeds in Britain), New Botanic Garden 1805-7, New Flora Britannica 1812, and The Botanical Register 1815-19. Edwards established the latter under his own editorship in 1815 after a disagreement with John Sims, who succeeded Curtis as editor. He died on 8 February 1819. |