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Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
An artist and naturalist, Maria Merian led an unusual and adventurous life for a woman born in the 17th century. She wrote, illustrated and published three books. She was a pioneer of insect biology as well as a businesswoman and entrepreneur financing her own scientific studies. Late in her life she traveled to South America to study tropical insects. Merian's work was widely admired and influential in the 18th century, and was recently rediscovered with the renewal of interest in the work of women artists. Her images have appeared on two U.S. postage stamps.
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