A Victorian Heritage: Riverside’s Butterfly Man

Heritage House Explores the Life and Work of Charles Montagu Dammers in A Victorian Heritage: Riverside’s Butterfly Man

This spring exhibition explores the environmental conservation movement at the turn of the nineteenth century, a time when women’s fashion embraced trends like wearing dead birds on hats.  Victorian naturalists were born out of an appreciation for nature and the growing concern about overharvesting natural resources.

Image: A watercolor by Charles Dammers showing the life stages of a Gulf fritillary butterfly.

© Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Among a generation of naturalists inspired by this movement was Charles Montagu Dammers. A lieutenant in the Royal Navy turned gold prospector, Dammers arrived in Riverside in the 1920s where he turned his green thumb toward reviving an orange orchard. Dammers was deeply influenced by the Victorian naturalists of his youth.  He developed his own passion for natural history upon his arrival in Riverside, rearing and studying butterflies and other insects in his spare time. He created stunning watercolor illustrations of these insects and published notes on their biology, earning him the nickname “Riverside’s Butterfly Man.”

Throughout Heritage House, small bell jars, called cloches, signify important objects on exhibit that relate to Dammers’ story. Visitors can see what the life of an early scientist was like through objects such as magnifying glasses, insect-collecting equipment, and books on natural history.

Bird cloche,
Buffon & Willson, Naturalists
Circa 1865
Museum of Riverside Collections, number A2-5

Typewriter
Underwood Elliot Fisher Company
1935
Museum of Riverside Collections, number A1008-5

Also included is a reimagined example of what Dammers’ workspace may have looked like, including rearing cages, watercolors, and a vintage typewriter!

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly
Museum of Riverside Collections, number A1703-299

A series of engaging events accompany the exhibition this spring, including nature journaling, live insect programs, and butterfly walks with the Curator of Natural History. The exhibition will be on view during regular Heritage House tours Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, March 13^th through June 28^th, 2026. RSVP for your free tour here!

For more information and to keep up-to-date on all Museum of Riverside activities, visit museumofriverside.org

As a center for learning, the Museum of Riverside interacts with the community to collect, preserve, explore, and interpret the cultural and natural history of Riverside and its region.