Olivia Emily Moses, known as Emily, was a prolific sketcher during her life, leaving behinds and array of notebooks, diaries and sketch pads. Here are a selection of her sketches, alongside some modern day interpretations.
An extract from Emily’s diary, Tuesday, 28 July, 1885, in which she writes about a visit to the local library to find out about snails; part of her quest to find any reference to the Wiltshire Snare.
A small sketch from one of Emily’s sketchbooks. This is dated early in her Snare discovery journey, but shows that she has already amassed a lot of knowledge.Sketch from Emily’s diary dated Saturday, 19 December, 1885. Emily writes of gathering ivy to decorate the house for Christmas. “I bent down to pick some tendrils of leaves and there, at ground level…were a few delightful turquoise and emerald green Snare shells.”Pen and ink sketch showing details of a small clan of Snares, including sage leaves, a main part of their diet. Dated 1886.A beautifully illustrated page from her sketchbook that shows details of the Snare anatomy.A modern illustration developed from a sketch in Emily’s diary.Emily’s original skecth from her 1886 diary.A modern illustration developed from a letter from Emily to her friend Charlotte East.Emily’s sketch of a Snare Clan gathering at Avebury, Wiltshire, UK.
The Wiltshire snare 