Charles Alexandre Lesueur (; 1 January 1778 in

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

– 12 December 1846 in Le Havre) was a French

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, artist, and

explorer Exploration is the process of exploring, an activity which has some Expectation (epistemic), expectation of Discovery (observation), discovery. Organised exploration is largely a human activity, but exploratory activity is common to most organis ...

. He was a prolific natural-history collector, gathering many type specimens in Australia, Southeast Asia, and North America, and was also responsible for describing numerous species, including the spiny softshell turtle (''

Apalone spinifera The spiny softshell turtle (''Apalone spinifera'') is a species of softshell turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Both the common name, spiny softshell, and the specific name, ''spinifera'' (spine-bearing), refe ...

''), smooth softshell turtle ('' A. mutica''), and common map turtle ('' Graptemys geographica''). Both

Mount Lesueur Mount Lesueur is a near-circular, flat-topped mesa located from Jurien Bay in Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

and

Lesueur National Park Lesueur National Park is a national park straddling the boundary between the Wheatbelt and Mid West regions of Western Australia, 211 km north of Perth. The park was gazetted in 1992. It includes two mesas known as Mount Lesueur and Moun ...

in Western Australia are named in his honor.

Early life

Charles Alexandre Lesueur was born on January 1, 1778, to Jean-Baptiste Denis Lesueur and Charlotte Thieullent. Charlotte died when Charles was sixteen years old, and Charles' maternal grandmother took care of him and his siblings. Charles attended the

Collège In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

du Havre and possibly the Ecole publique des mathématiques et d'hydrographie. He was in military service in a cadet battalion at age fifteen and was in the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

of Le Havre from 1797 to 1799. He joined the French Marines or Navy but was discharged for medical reasons. He then joined

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 175416 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. He carried a few corms of Gros Michel banana ...

's expedition, nominally as a gunner on the ship '' Géographe''.

Career

In 1801, Lesueur traveled to Australia on the expedition of Nicolas Baudin, assuming the duties of expedition artist alongside Nicolas-Martin Petit when the erstwhile appointed artists disembarked in France. With

François Péron François Auguste Péron (22 August 1775 – 14 December 1810) was a French naturalist and explorer. Life Péron was born in Cérilly, Allier, in 1775, the son of a tailor (not a harness maker as is frequently asserted). Although intended fo ...

, he took over the duties as naturalist after the death of the expedition's zoologist

René Maugé René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...

. Together, they collected over 100,000 zoological specimens. In 1802, he made the only known sketches of the

King Island emu The King Island emu (''Dromaius novaehollandiae minor'') is an extinct subspecies of emu that was endemic to King Island, Tasmania, King Island, in the Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania. Its closest relative may be the also ex ...

in its natural habitat (the bird became extinct in 1822). Between May 1816 and early 1837, he lived and traveled widely in the United States, particularly in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri. He was elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1817. In 1833, he visited

Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the lower Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state, nearly halfway between Evansville and Terre Haute. It was founded in 1732 by F ...

, where he sketched the first known drawing of

Grouseland Grouseland, the William Henry Harrison Mansion and Museum, is a National Historic Landmark important for its Federal-style architecture and role in American history. The two-story, red brick home was built between 1802 and 1804 in Vincennes, I ...

, the mansion of

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. The mansion is today a National Historic Landmark. Charles-Alexandre Lesueur on cage

From 1826 to 1837, Lesueur was based in

New Harmony, Indiana New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, Posey County, Indiana. It lies north of Mount Vernon, Indiana, Mount Vernon, the county seat, and is part of ...

, where he filled sketchbooks full of the finds discovered during the utopian adventure funded by his friend and former employer, American geologist

William Maclure William Maclure (27 October 176323 March 1840) was an Americanized Scottish geologist, cartographer and philanthropist. He is known as the 'father of American geology'. As a social experimenter on new types of community life, he collaborated w ...

. He arrived in the boat ''Philanthropist'' (which he also sketched) with other intellectuals who came to live in the small town of New Harmony, on the Wabash River. He took research trips (including series of six flat-boat trips to New Orleans) and sketched people, small towns, and scenes continuously. He was in New Harmony when Prince Maximilian, Prince of Wied-Neuweid, Germany, and artist

Karl Bodmer Johann Carl Bodmer (11 February 1809 – 30 October 1893) was a Switzerland, Swiss-France, French printmaker, etcher, lithographer, zinc engraver, draftsman, draughtsman, painter, illustrator, and hunter. Known as Karl Bodmer in literature and p ...

came to spend five months there in 1832–1833. Prince Maximilian said of Lesueur, "He had explored the country in many directions, was acquainted with everything remarkable, collected and prepared all interesting objects, and had already sent considerable collections to France." Indeed, Lesueur sent specimens of unique fish, animals, and fossils, as well as artifacts he had dug from the Indian Mounds in New Harmony, back to France, where they remain. Lesueur returned to France in 1837, only after his friends

Thomas Say Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) was an American entomologist, conchologist, and Herpetology, herpetologist. His studies of insects and shells, numerous contributions to scientific journals, and scientific expeditions to Florida, Ge ...

and Joseph Barabino had died and William MacClure had returned to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, accompanied by many of his fine books. He had spent 21 years in the United States, but continued his scholarly studies and activities in France, where he resumed his occupation of artist-naturalist and began to catalogue his extensive research and artwork. At last, he was awarded the honor of Chevalier de l’Ordre Royal de la

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

for his long years of work in the sciences. In March 1846, Lesueur was appointed curator of the Musée d'Histoire Naturelle du Havre. Nine months later, he died suddenly (12 December 1846) and was buried at Le Havre. In the 1900s, his work was finally published by the museum, totaling over 60 books, including reports of his zoological, geological, historical, and archaeological research, as well as studies of his life. Pictured here is the

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, military officer, scientist, and naturalist. In 1775, inspired by the American Revolution, Peale moved from his native Maryland to Philadelphia, where he set ...

of Lesueur. The original hangs in the reading room of the Ewell Sale Stewart Library in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Gallery

File:The Great Traveller Charles Alexandre Lesueur in the Forest by Karl Bodmer 1832 - 1834.jpg, ''The Great Traveller Charles Alexandre Lesueur in the Forest'' Lithograph after the watercolor: ''Lesueur, the Naturalist at New Harmony'' by Karl Bodmer, c. 1832–1834 File:New Harmony 1831 sketch by Charles Alexandre Lesueur.jpg,

, in 1831, sketch from Charles Alexandre Lesueur File:Molluscs and Zoophytes Lesuer SLNSW FL3743596.jpg, Molluscs and Zoophytes, Charles Alexandre Lesueur, from Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Lands 1807

Eponyms

One

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of frog, two species of lizards, and a species of jellyfish were named in honour of Lesueur (the last also honoring François Péron, also of the Baudin expedition): *'' Litoria lesueurii'' – Lesueur's frog (

Hylidae Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as " tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semiaquatic. Taxonomy and ...

)Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2013. ''The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians''. Exeter, England: Pelagic Publishing Ltd. xiii + 262 pp. . ("Lesueur", p. 124). *''

Amalosia lesueurii ''Amalosia lesueurii'', commonly known as Lesueur's gecko or Lesueur's velvet gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Etymology The specific name, ''lesueurii'', is in honor of F ...

'' – Lesueur's velvet gecko (

Diplodactylidae The Diplodactylidae are a Family (biology), family in the suborder Gekkota (geckos), with over 150 species in 25 Genus, genera. These geckos occur in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Diplodactylids are the most ecologically diverse and ...

)Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . ("Lesueur", p. 156). *'' Intellagama lesueurii'' – eastern water dragon (

Agamidae Agamidae is a family containing 582 species in 64 genera of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few locations in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview Phylogenetically ...

) *'' Phyllorhiza peronlesuerui'' – a jellyfish (

Mastigiidae Mastigiidae is a family of Scyphozoa, true jellyfish. The family is native to the Indo-Pacific, but a species of ''Mastigias'' has been Introduced species, introduced to the West Atlantic, and ''Phyllorhiza punctata'' has been introduced to the W ...

)Collins, A. G.; Jarms, G.; Morandini, A. C. (2019). World List of Scyphozoa. Phyllorhiza peronlesueuri Goy, 1990. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=287185 on 2019-04-16

Published works

* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Descriptions of six new Species of the genus ''Firola'', observed by Messrs. Le Sueur and Péron in the Mediterranean Sea, in the months of March and April, 1809. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 3–8. * Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Characters of a new genus, and descriptions of three new species upon which it is formed; discovered in the Atlantic ocean, in the months of March and April, 1816. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(3), 37–41. (Read April 15, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Descriptions of three new species of the genus ''Raja''. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(3), 41–43. (Read July 1, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Descriptions of two new species of the genus ''Gadus''. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(5), 83–85. (Read August 26, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Descriptions of a new species of the genus ''Cyprinus''. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(5), 85–86. (Read August 19, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. An account of an American species of Tortoise, not noticed in the systems. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(5), 86–88. (Read September 23, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. A new genus of Fishes, of the order Abdominales, proposed, under the name of ''Catostomus''; and the characters of this genus, with those of its species, indicated. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(5), 88–96. (Read September 16, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. A new genus of Fishes, of the order Abdominales, proposed, under the name of ''Catostomus''; and the characters of this genus, with those of its species, indicated. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 102–111. (Read September 16, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Descriptions of four new species, and two varieties, of the genus ''Hydrargira''. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 125–134. (Read October 21, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Observations on several species of the genus ''Actinia''; illustrated by figures. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 149–154. (Read October 21, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1817. Observations on several species of the genus ''Actinia''; illustrated by figures. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1(6), 169–189. (Read October 21, 1817)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1818. Descriptions of several new species of North American fishes. Part 1. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 222–235. (Read March 3, 1818)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1818. Observations on a new genus of fossil shells. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 310–313. (Read June 30, 1818)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1818. Descriptions of several new species of North American fishes. Part 2. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 359–365. (Read March 3, 1818)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1818. Description of several new species of the genus ''Esox'', of North America. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 1, 413–417. (Read March 3, 1818)
BHL link
* Le Sueur, C. A. 1823. Descriptions of several new species of ''

Ascidia ''Ascidia'' is a genus of tunicates in the family Ascidiidae. Selected species * '' Ascidia achimotae'' Millar, 1953 * '' Ascidia adamanensis'' Oka, 1915 * '' Ascidia ahodori'' Oka, 1927 * '' Ascidia alisea'' Monniot & Monniot, 2006 * '' Ascid ...

''. ''Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia'' 3, 2–8. (Read March 25, 1822)

References

External links

Charles Alexandre Lesueur (1778–1846) naturalist, artist

Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Le Havre (Lesueur, peintre voyageur)

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060219202630/http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/maclurites.html Maclurites magnus Lesueur
Alex the explorer, the hero of a new graphic novel

– State Library (South Australia)

– Université de La Rochelle
Charles A Lesueur Papers
– Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections (Indiana, USA). Works of art on paper, including pencil, pastel, charcoal and watercolor sketches by artist and naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur, Virginia Dupalais, and Lucy Sistare ay {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesueur, Charles Alexandre 1778 births 1846 deaths Scientists from Le Havre French naturalists Shark Bay People from New Harmony, Indiana Teuthologists International members of the American Philosophical Society