Maria Emma Gray (1787–1876), conchologist and phycologist
Maria Emma Smith (1787–1876) was born in Greenwich. Her first husband was Francis Edward Gray whom she married in 1812. They had two daughters before Francis died in 1814.
In 1826 she married John Edward Gray (1800-1875), a zoologist at the British Museum, who was also the second cousin of her first husband. Maria not only provided illustrations for her husband’s scientific papers, she also aided him in his curatorial work, mounting and arranging most of the Cuming collection of shells in the British Museum.
The Geological Society's Library holds four volumes of Maria's book ‘Figures of molluscous animals, selected from various authors. Etched for the use of students’, London: Longman & Co (1842-1850).
The illustrations had initially been produced as an aid for her husband to help in his curatorial work at the British Museum. At his encouragement, especially as some of the works the drawings were copied from were expensive or difficult to find, she converted them into etching plates so they could be of wider use to other conchologists.
Top: Portrait of Maria Emma Gray
Left: Sea snails Dolium galea, Cassis galea and Cassis glauca etched by Maria Emma Gray,
Right: Tiger cowrie Cyprea tigris, etched by Maria Emma Gray
All from from: Maria Emma Gray's ‘Figures of molluscous animals, selected from various authors', (1842-1850). GSL Library collection.
Maria also became an expert in algae, being tasked by Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817-1911) with identifying the type specimens in the collection of seaweed donated by Amelia Griffiths (1768-1858) to Kew. She also curated sets to be sent to schools to encourage the study of phycology.
To commemorate Maria’s work in this field, her husband John named a species of algae after her in 1866 - Grayemma. He also named other species in her honour such as the sea snail Scapha maria-emma, now known as Cymbiola mariaemma, and two lizards Calotes maria and Calotes emma.
Left: Lizard Calotes emma from: John Edward Gray, 'Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum', London: Trustees of the British Museum (1845). Source: Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Right: Sea snail Scapha maria-emma from: John Edward Gray, "Description of Scapha maria-emma, a New Species of Volute". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, vol 27 (1859), pp230-231. Source: Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Left: Testudo Belli gray/Chersina angulata, etched by Emma Juliana Gray from a drawing by James Sowerby, 1828. From John Edward Gray, ‘Synopsis reptilium; or short descriptions of the species of reptiles’ (1831). GSL Library reference: Tract M9 f5.
Maria’s daughters Emma and Sophia from her first marriage were also illustrators. Like her mother, Emma has made an etching from another work, in this case a tortoise from an original drawing by James Sowerby.
Her devoted husband paid tribute to Maria by saying “my wife has been my companion and helper in all my studies … and my cares” and had a bronze medallion, bearing both of their portraits, struck in 1863.
John, who had suffered a series of strokes in his final years, died on 7 March 1875. Maria died on 9 December 1876.