The determined naturalist

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In honor of those determined women who pursued knowledge as naturalists from the Scientific Revolution through the Age of Enlightenment.

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a German-born naturalist, artist, and entomologist. She is particularly known for her detailed illustrations and observations of insects and their life cycles, which she documented in her book Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium (1705)

Charlotte Murchison (1788-1869) sought out Mary Anning (1799-1847) for her expertise in the search and identification of fossil molluscs. They spent some weeks together combing the Lyme Regis coast in 1825. They remained friends until Anning’s death on March 9, 1847, and frequently corresponded.

Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz (1822-1907) In 1873, Louis and Elizabeth Agassiz founded the Anderson School of Natural History, a coeducational school of marine science on Penikese Island in Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts. She helped organize and manage several of her husband's expeditions and she co-authored with Louis an account of their trip to the Amazon. She was the official record keeper for the Hassler Expedition to South America and wrote articles about it for the Atlantic Monthly. She collaborated with Alexander Agassiz on Seaside Studies in Natural History, a marine biology primer for a general audience.