Born in Frankfurt am Main in 1647, Merian’s story elegantly reflects both our values and the unique mix of investment styles that can be found within our firm. Hailed by Sir David Attenborough as one of the most significant contributors to the field of entomology (the study of insects), Merian is considered one of the first scientists to debunk widely believed myths about the lifecycles and metamorphosis of insects.

Merian’s travels took her as far away from Northern Europe as the jungles of Surinam in South America. At the time, it was exceptional for women to lead such expeditions, and her actions raised eyebrows in some quarters.

During her career, Merian endured exceptional hardships: despite contracting malaria in Surinam, and subsequently suffering a stroke that led to her partial paralysis, she nevertheless continued her work.

Merian captured her scientific findings and observations in a large number of exquisitely detailed illustrations, many of which survive to this day and are held by major art collections around the world. Indeed, she is often described as “the woman who made science beautiful.”

So important were Merian’s illustrations that Carl Linnaeus – the renowned Swedish botanist and zoologist responsible for creating the system of naming organisms still in use to this day – is thought to have relied upon them to identify approximately 100 new species.