Maria Sibylla Merian

Merian's insect studies joined an artist's control of the page with sustained observation of metamorphosis. Her emperor-moth plate places caterpillars, pupal forms and adults on their host plant, making relationships visible rather than presenting isolated specimens. Her daughter Dorothea Maria and local knowledge contributed to the Suriname expedition. The resulting images could be beautiful and useful records at once, although individual identifications and life cycles still need scientific scrutiny.