Agnes Catlow

Agnes Catlow (1806–1889) was a 19th-century British science writer best known for a book on conchology.

Early life Catlow was born in 1806 in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Catlow. By the 1860s Catlow and her sister Maria were living in Chertsey in Surrey.

Background Not much is known of Catlow's family background and education. It is clear from her publications that she was well-educated, especially in such natural sciences as zoology and entomology.

Career Illustration of 13 microorganisms viewed under a microscope, from Agnes Catlow's 1851 book Drops of Water. Plate signed in Latin "Painted and lithographed by Achilles".

Catlow was one of a group of mid-Victorian-era women scientific writers who published mainly for children, helping to bring science education into the home.