Sibilla Merian, a German naturalist, author, and illustrator was born in Germany. Frankfurt was a small town in Germany where she was raised. They had a wide family that were either an engraver and or a publisher. After the death of her stepfather that taught her much botony and engraving, she was later very enthusiastic to develope a several scientific and observational flower engravings. "In the 1720's Merian had established her reputation of being a famous botonist and she her book was a three-volume set of flower engravings." Merian would later eventually create a second three-volume work emphasized on the catepillar's physical life cycle. During the early 1700's, Merian experienced her change in life and emigrated to the Dutch colony, called Surinam, to study the flora and fauna. She also developed the incredibly precise "compositions that are in the Merian print stamps, that are used in the United States Postal Service." In Merian's Surinam works are held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and were shown in what is called, "Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam." She later died in 1717 and her daughter sold all her works to a well known publisher in Amsterdam.