Dissertation on the Generation and Metamorphosis of Surinamese Insects, Plate 62
1726
Maria Sibylla Merian was a pioneer who traveled to Suriname in 1699 to study insects, a wild move for a woman in the 17th century! This detailed plate from her famous book shows the life cycle of a moth, from hungry caterpillars munching on papaya leaves to the final winged adult. Unlike other scientists of her time who just pinned dead bugs in boxes, Merian drew them alive in their natural habitats, revolutionizing how we understand metamorphosis. Her work was so ahead of its time that it inspired future naturalists like Darwin.