William Bullock (collector)

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William Bullock (c. 1773 - 1849) was an English traveller, naturalist and antiquarian.

Bullock began as a goldsmith and jeweller in Sheffield. He used his wealth to accumulate a large collection of artefacts, antiquities and stuffed animals. In the late 1790s Bullock founded a Museum of Natural Curiosities in the city, which moved to Liverpool in 1801. In 1808 he published a descriptive catalogue of the works of art, armoury, objects of natural history, and other curiosities in the collection, some of which had been brought back by members of James Cook's expeditions. In 1809, Bullock moved to London and the collection was housed in the newly built Piccadilly Egyptian Hall. The collection, which included over 32,000 items, was disposed of by auction in 1819.

In 1822 Bullock went to Mexico where he became involved in silver mine speculation. He brought back many artefacts and specimens which formed a new exhibition in the Egyptian Hall. A second visit to Mexico, and to the United States, took place in 1827. Bullock bought land on the bank of the Ohio River from Thomas D. Carneal where he proposed to build a utopian community named Hygeia (a Greek word meaning health) laid out by John Buonarotti Papworth. The speculation was not a success, although some people, including Frances Trollope, took part; Bullock sold the land to Israel Ludlow in 1846. [1]

[edit] Bibliography

• A Companion to the Liverpool Museum, containing a brief description of ... natural & foreign curiosities, antiquities & productions of the fine arts, open for public inspection ... at the house of William Bullock, Church Street. Liverpool: T. Schofield, printer, ca. 1801., numerous editions.
• A concise and easy method of preserving objects of natural history: intended for the use of sportsmen, travellers, and others; to enable them to prepare and preserve such curious and rare articles. London: printed for the propietor, 1818. 2. Ed.
• Six months residence and travels in Mexico. Containing remarks on the present state of New Spain, its natural productions, state of society, manufactures, trade, agriculture, and antiquities. London: John Murrey, 1825.
  • Sechs Monate in Mexiko oder Bemerkungen über den gegenwärtigen Zustand Neu-Spaniens von W. Bullock. Aus dem Engl. übers. von Friedrich Schott. Dresden: Hilscher, 1825.
  • Le Mexique en 1823, ou Relation d'un voyage dans la Nouvelle-Espagne, contenant des notions exactes et peu connues sur la situation physique, morale et politique de ce pays. Paris: Alexis-Eymery, 1824.
• A description of the unique exhibition, called Ancient Mexico: collected on the spot in 1823 ... for public inspection at the Eqyptian Hall, Piccadilly. London: Printed for the proprietors, 1824.
• Catalogue of the exhibition, called Modern Mexico: containing a panoramic view of the city, with specimens of the natural history of New Spain ... at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. London: Printed for the proprietor, 1824
• A descriptive catalogue of the exhibition, entitled Ancient and Modern Mexico: containing a panoramic view of the present city, specimens of the natural history of New Spain ... at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly. London: Printed for the proprietors, 1825.
• Sketch of a journey through the Western States of North America: from New Orleans, by the Mississippi, Ohio, city of Cincinnati and falls of Niagara, to New York, in 1827. London: Miller, 1827

[edit] References

• Robert D. Aguirre: Informal Empire: Mexico and Central America in Victorian Culture. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
• William Bullock: Sketch of a Journey through the Western States of North America, 1827.
• Michael P. Costeloe: William Bullock and the Mexican Connection. In: Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos, Summer 2006, Vol. 22, No. 2, Pages 275–309. Online-Version
• Papavero, N. & Ibanez-Bernal, S., 2001 Contributions to a history of Mexican Dipterology. Part I. Entomologists and their works before the Biologia Centrali-Americana. Acta Zoologica Mexicana Nueva Serie 84: 65-173.