10.6 Maria Sibylla Merian, Painter and Scientist

In a world where words like "entomologist" and "ecologist" had not yet been coined, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) managed to be both. She was trained as a painter of flowers but was really more interested in the bugs on the flowers. Her adventures took her from her native Germany to Holland, across the Atlantic to Surinam, and back, where her paintings of wildlife were admired by scientists across Europe and contributed to Carl Linnaeus's system of scientific nomenclature.
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In a world where words like "entomologist" and "ecologist" had not yet been coined, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) managed to be both. She was trained as a painter of flowers but was really more interested in the bugs on the flowers. Her adventures took her from her native Germany to Holland, across the Atlantic to Surinam, and back, where her paintings of wildlife were admired by scientists across Europe and contributed to Carl Linnaeus's system of scientific nomenclature.

Visit the website (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures.

Support the show on my Patreon page for bonus episodes, polls, and a general feeling of self-satisfaction.

Join Into History for a community of ad-free history podcasts plus bonus content.

Follow me on Twitter as @her_half. Or on Facebook or Instagram as Her Half of History.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices