Watercolor sketches for the Department of Invertebrates of the American Museum of Natural History by Chris E. Olsen

Artwork of marine invertebrates made by Chris Olsen. Most of the illustrations are field watercolor sketches of coral and sponge specimens from Tarpon Springs, Florida, done in 1941 and 1942. Includes herbarium specimen from Tarpon Springs, Florida which may or may not have been collected by Olsen.

The drawings of invertebrates from Tarpon Springs seem to have been created at a later time in the lab as they all date after the actual expedition. Each drawing notes when the specimen was collected, where it was collected, other specimens of its type, its preparation (dried or in alcohol), notes on color, and on several drawings there are additional notes from a second trip in 1945.

Individual leaves are mounted on boards, many with two (some have three) illustrations on a single sheet of paper. Each sheet of paper is barcoded separately.

Five drawings included in this collection were not made using specimens from Tarpon Springs. Locations noted are Salisbury Cove (Maine), Woods Hole, and Long Shoal, Shag Island. One drawing of a sponge is not attributed to a site and is unsigned and undated.