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Victorian artist & naturalist Marianne North (b. #OTD in 1830) defied gender norms to document global plant life. Over 14 years, she traveled solo across 6 continents and 15+ countries, creating a revolutionary visual archive of the natural world. #WomenInSTEM #Art #ArtSky

North rejected delicate watercolors for vibrant oils, painting plants alive in their full habitats. She routinely climbed cliffs, trekked through wilderness, and camped for months in rainforests to find rare blooms. She traveled to Australia & NZ to capture primitive flora.

Initially dismissed by male peers as a "decorative artist," her intense visual accuracy led to real scientific breakthroughs. She documented ~900 species; a genus (Northia) & the massive Bornean pitcher plant (Nepenthes northiana; she was the first non-local to find it 👇) bear her name. #WomenInSTEM