John Hampson

Hampson was born in Stockport, Cheshire, England on July 9, 1836. He was trained as a machinist and he came to the United States in 1860. During the Civil War he worked in the government navy yards and then he moved to total of thirteen states. In 1877, he finally settled with his wife in Newark, New Jersey. He worked, briefly, for Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park laboratory.

He used his passion for insects to create eleven mosaics that included over 70,000 moths, butterflies and beetles arranged in designs. Each creation, each of which took a few years, includes between 6300 and 13,500 insects and each has a decorated frame that he created as well. His designs included an American flag made out of bugs, portraits of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, and one where he celebrated his own 50th birthday. He created all of his works in Newark, New Jersey. He worked at his hobby for 50 years and produced 11 collages.

When Hampson died, his daughter searched for a museum that would exhibit his art. The Fairbanks Museum, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, was the only one who responded and the entire collection was donated there in 1977. Seven of the 11 total works are on display at the museum. Three collages, General Slocum, a portrait of George Washington and a kaleidoscopic design are considered too damaged to exhibit.

The Newark News described his work on February 17, 1923 as “It would take perhaps three or four years for Hampson to complete one picture, mounting the insects so that the white, black, red, orange, blue and yellow wings would form pictures of famous American generals in characteristic poses, or intricate designs such as the North Star, completed in 1887, or the Centennial Wheel, finished in 1892, copies from patchwork quilts, which had won prizes at exhibitions.”