Royal Palace in Amsterdam

What is now a royal palace in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was built in the 1600s as an impressive City Hall.

The unusual caterpillar was found in the jungle of Suriname, South America.

What could possibly connect these two things on different continents an ocean apart? Not royalty, not even someone from the wealthy upper class; it was a little old lady named Maria Sybilla Merian (1647-1717), a lady well known in her time for her studies of caterpillars and their metamorphosis into butterflies or moths; and for her painted illustrations of them.

Having seen a few specimens of unusual butterflies in the collections of wealthy collectors, Maria decided to travel to South America to discover what kind of caterpillars became these beautiful butterflies. Her friends and acquaintances were horrified and tried their best to dissuade her. They argued that 1 she was too old to make a two-month sea voyage (at 50 she WAS old), 2 the trip was too dangerous (it WAS dangerous, what with storms, pirates, and probably inadequate food), 3 she certainly could not travel without a man accompanying her (she had already done so twice), and 4 the cost was prohibitive (it really WAS a lot). Reason number four was the only one she was concerned about. She made plans and apparently sold everything she owned except her art supplies.

When her friend, the mayor of Amsterdam, realized that Maria was determined to go, and probably that she could also bring him some new specimens for his own collection, he persuaded the city fathers to help fund her trip.

Upon her return to Amsterdam two years later she was invited to exhibit some of the insects and other small creatures she brought back with her. The exhibit was a huge success since these were things most people in Europe had never seen before. They were amazed.

You can read all about this and more in my book Chasing Caterpillars, the Life and Times of Maria Sybilla Merian. It can also be ordered here on this website.