Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) made significant contributions to the field of ecology. She pioneered methods of scientific observation and inspired scientists for generations to come.
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) made significant contributions to the field of ecology. She pioneered methods of scientific observation and inspired scientists for generations to come.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. This is Womanica.
This month, we're highlighting women who've led dynamic lives. Ones that have shifted, evolved and bloomed, often later in life.
Today we’re talking about a woman who made significant contributions to the field of ecology. She pioneered methods of scientific observation and inspired scientists for generations to come.
Let’s talk about Maria Sibylla Merian.
Maria was born in 1647, in Germany. Her father, an illustrator, died when she was three. Soon after, her mother remarried Jacob Marrel, a still-life painter. Maria studied under Jacob, and quickly became adept at watercolor painting.
The subjects of her paintings were mostly plants and insects - often, insects that Maria herself raised. At 13, she reared silkworms and kept a detailed journal documenting their life stages. At the time, most scientists thought that insects spontaneously generated, appearing from the mud or rotten food. But Maria’s journals were some of the earliest observations of insect life cycles.
When she was 18, Maria married Johann Andreas Graff, who was a painter and her stepfather’s apprentice. Together, they moved into their own studio. Maria began teaching art to the daughters of wealthy families. These families often had private gardens, filled with exotic plants. Maria documented these plants meticulously, and eventually published three books of flower drawings. Her books always included small insects, drawn on every page.
In 1676, a year after the birth of her second daughter, Maria published The Wondrous Transformation of Caterpillars. The book contained 50 engravings that depicted every stage of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. While most other artists at the time were drawing pictures of dead, dried animals, Maria took inspiration from living creatures. And she always drew the animals with the plants they were surrounded by.
By 1685, Maria’s marriage had become increasingly difficult. She moved to a religious colony in the Netherlands with her two daughters. Then, in 1691, they moved again, this time to Amsterdam.
In Amsterdam, women could own property and start businesses, a rarity at the time. Maria opened her own studio, and she and her two daughters made a living as working artists.
In 1699, at 52 years old, Maria used the money she made selling her drawings to finance a trip to Suriname, a Dutch colony in South America. Maria, along with her youngest daughter, spent two years there. They trekked through the tangled rainforest in petticoats, observing the wildlife. She learned about the ecology of the land from indigenous and enslaved people in the colony.
In 1705, Maria published a book based on her travels, called The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname. It contained detailed drawings of insects and plants of South American rainforests - entirely unfamiliar to her Western audience. She also described, in Latin, all the stages of insect development.
Her book caused a lasting impact in the world of science. Following her example, other scientists like Mark Catesby and Willia m Bartram began depicting insects in their natural habitats. And Carl Linnaeus used her drawings to create his own classifications of insects.
Maria died in 1717. Her work laid the foundations for modern science.
All month, we’re highlighting the stories of lifelong learners. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!