In 1699 Maria Sibylla Merian traveled to Suriname as an artist, entomologist and single mother. She was novel in her approach to documenting the life cycle of insects, birds and animals as she couched them within their natural world, documenting the life cycle of the plants as well. Although she was revered by the European scientific community of her time, her work sought after by the most ardent collectors, her documentation of the bird eating tarantula was not to be believed until it was confirmed over 100 years later by a male naturalist.