Ralph Arnold marine specimen drawings

A collection of approximately 200 illustrations of marine specimens drawn by Ralph Arnold, likely for use in his 1903 dissertation, "The Paleontology and Stratigraphy of the Marine Pliocene and Pleistocene of San Pedro, California," or possibly for use in his 1906 paper, "The Tertiary and Quaternary Pectens of California."

The figures vary in size and depict various marine fossils. Illustrations likely depict: conch shells (Strombidae); cowrie shells (Cypraeidae); volute shells (Volutidae); miter shells (Mitridae); conus shells (Conidae); scallop and mussel shells (Pectinidae); clam shells (Mercenaria); and tusk shells (Dentalium). Illustrations are in black ink, with some showing original pencil outlines and notes. Some of the specimens are labeled, and almost all include typed figure numbers that have been pasted on. The numbers often repeat, and the order is unclear.

Also included is an accompanying letter, envelope, and set of eleven illustrations addressed to Ralph's father, Delos Arnold. In the letter, Ralph describes experimenting with illustration styles and mentions the brachiopod species, Terebratalia hemphilli. Ralph likely collaborated with his father in identifying the specimens, as his letter describes sending identified illustrations to him for review.