William T. Innes

William Thornton Innes III, L.H.D. (February 2, 1874 – February 27, 1969) was an American aquarist, author, photographer, printer and publisher. Innes was the author of numerous influential books and hundreds of articles about aquarium fish, aquatic plants and aquarium maintenance during the formative years of the aquarium hobby in America. Born in Philadelphia, he was the founder, publisher and editor of The Aquarium, the first successful national magazine dedicated to aquarists. The magazine ran monthly for thirty-five years from May 1932 through January 1967.

Early life Innes was born in Philadelphia in 1874. After graduating from Friends' Central School in 1892, he entered the printing concern of his father, Innes and Sons, in 1895. He first became involved with fishkeeping when a friend from the Columbia Photographic Society introduced him to the Philadelphia Aquarium Society in 1906. He soon began actively participating in the Aquarium Society, eventually becoming the organization's secretary and president. hand-painted, test-printed, and then repainted to fine-tune the color for publication.

These color photos, considered works of art by many, became the object of a lawsuit some years later. Dr. Herbert Axelrod had used these photos from Exotic Aquarium Fishes in a book produced by his publishing company, TFH Publications. Innes sued and won the case in 1955, but was awarded only $1, plus court costs, since the court could not determine that any monetary damage had been done.

Of Exotic Aquarium Fishes, historian Samantha Muka stated in 2022 that the book, written by the "acknowledged 'godfather' of [the] community", was considered essential among the aquarist community, "bind[ing] the hobbyist community together and giv[ing[ them shared history and basic definitions and rhetoric upon which to converse," as well as providing them a "shared historical narrative in the field".

Honors

Dr. Myers, who first described the neon tetra, had named that fish Hyphessobrycon innesi in honor of Innes. The neon tetra is perhaps the best-known of several fish species that have been named in honor of this pioneer in the aquarium hobby. A water lily cultivar of the genus Nymphaea has also been named in his honor.

Temple University conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 1951.

On the occasion of Dr. Innes's 80th birthday in 1954, Dr. Myers wrote a tribute to him, in the February issue of The Aquarium, referring to William T. Innes as "the best known and most respected aquarist and authority on aquariums in the world. His books, his photographs and his influence on this field have educated millions."

An extensive collection of his writings, sketches, photographs and correspondence is housed at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.

Publications

Exotic Aquarium Fishes, 1st edition, Innes & Sons Publishing Co., Philadelphia, PA 1935 Exotic Aquarium Fishes, 19th edition, revised, Metaframe, Maywood, NJ 1966 The Aquarium, "Innes Anniversary Issue", Vol. XXIII, No. 2, February 1954