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talented scientific illustrator, lectured internationally & bequeathed 22,000 specimens to the Norwich Castle Museum. She became the only female fellow in the Royal Entomological Society in 1898.

The eldest of 7 kids, her Norwich clergyman father died when she was 15. The next year, she began keeping a diary. At 27 the death of a wealthy uncle gave her freedom few could enjoy. She toured France & Switzerland by bike with her sister, then settled in Milan. In 1895 she saw the immense

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butterfly collection of Henry John Elwes, FRS. Butterfly collecting was not uncommon for Victorian ladies, but Margaret realized this could be her life's purpose. Unlike hobbyists she sought to document & breed species & travel tracking elusive species through Europe, Africa, South America, Indian, Australia & S Pacific.

Much of this work was done in partnership with Damascus dragoman (a sort of local fixer/interpreter/guide) Khalil Neimy, 15 years her junior.

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He declared his love for her, & they spent many tumultuous years together. She shared her knowledge freely with entomologists & though not dedicated to writing up her scientific results, her reputation was such that she was invited to join the prestigious Linnean Society in 1912.

WWI hit & her investments plummeted in value; for 1st time she needed to earn money as a cataloguer then got collection commissions. Neimy confessed he was secretly married & died before he divorced in 1928.

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Find my portrait of her here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1421349950/lino-block-print-portrait-of-victorian