Science Illustration: A Creative Door for Early Women in Science

At the dawn of the 1900s, science remained a domain largely inaccessible to women. Despite societal constraints, a select group of pioneering women found a path to contribute to science through illustration. Drawing was a decidedly “womanly” pastime in the early 1900s, so illustration became an acceptable avenue for scientifically inclined women to document and interpret the natural world despite the gender bias in traditional scientific roles.

These are the stories of four women in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Department of Invertebrate Zoology who broke through the gendered barriers of science and made significant contributions to scientific discovery through art.

Violet Dandridge (1878–1956)

Violet Dandridge was one of the earliest women employed as an illustrator by the Smithsonian. In 1903, she embarked on expeditions to document invertebrates alongside renowned female scientists Mary Jane Rathbun and Harriet Richardson. Dandridge surveyed the east coast with Rathbun and Richardson to collect and document over 1,000 invertebrate specimens. She meticulously captured their likeness in colored paintings.

Dandridge captured the delicate features of a wide variety of animals in crisp detail. These illustrations provided crucial insight for scientists to determine the unique features of each animal. Beyond her pioneering work in science, Dandridge was also an active participant in the woman's suffrage movement.

Aime Motter Awl (1887–1973)

Aime Awl defied societal norms by pursuing a career in medical illustration and later transitioning to the natural sciences. At Johns Hopkins Medical School, Awl studied alongside medical students, observed surgeries, and took advanced anatomy courses. She kept her work secret from friends who she feared would disapprove of such “improper” work for a woman. Her talent and dedication earned her international recognition, leading to commissions to illustrate rare surgical procedures.

Awl was hired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1929 and not only supported mollusk and crustacean research but also provided illustrations for almost every department in the museum. Her invertebrate work focused on many of the tiniest of animals—such as copepods and ostracods—and was even published in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

In 1944, she joined the Soroptimist Club in Washington, DC, an organization still active today whose volunteers help women and girls gain access to the education and training needed to achieve economic empowerment.

Carolyn Bartlett Gast (1929–2015)

Carolyn Gast worked as a scientific illustrator with the Department of Invertebrate Zoology from 1954 to 1985. She used various techniques to capture the essence of invertebrate life. Her illustration of a microscopic loriciferan (featured at the beginning of the article), a new phylum discovered in 1983 by Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen in the microscopic ecosystem between grains of sand, is perhaps her most famous and often reproduced illustration.

Her innovative approach to illustration, including experiments with creating 3D images through stereography, aimed to modernize the field. While stereography never got off the ground for scientific illustration, she worked on it as a personal project and even created a 3D alphabet series in the style of Middle Age Illumination. This artistic style comes from Medieval manuscripts which were decorated with intricate “miniatures” lining the boarders of pages, ornate lettering, and gold leaf.

As a founding member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators in 1968, Gast played a pivotal role in fostering a community of aspiring illustrators. She was also an avid proponent of using art to increase public science literacy.

Marilyn Schotte (1947–2020)

Marilyn Schotte dedicated over three decades to the Department of Invertebrate Zoology as both a researcher and illustrator. In addition to supporting the research of Drs. Brian Kensley and Ellen Strong, she published 40 scientific papers and a book of her own on crustaceans.

A dedicated worker, Schotte once spent 24 hours straight drawing larval squid to meet a deadline. Her contributions to science inspired Kensley to name a species of isopod after Schotte (Malacanthura schotteae). Known for her meticulous attention to detail, Schotte's illustrations were praised for their accuracy and depth. She also supported other scientific illustrators by serving as the president of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators from 1984 to 1988. Her work was featured as part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian Ripley Center in 1996.

In an era when women faced significant barriers in scientific pursuits, these remarkable individuals contributed to research at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History through meticulously documenting every scale, antenna, spine, and intricate feature of a dizzying array of earth’s animals to help describe life on Earth. Their legacy endures as a testament to the transformative power of art in advancing scientific knowledge and challenging societal norms.

Raven Capone Benko | | READ MORE

Raven Capone Benko is a science communicator specializing in marine systems, climate change, and the human-nature relationship. She has worked for the Smithsonian several times, first as a science writing intern, then as a government relations fellow focusing on science policy, and again as a media specialist for the Pettibone Legacy Project in the NMNH Department of Invertebrate Zoology. She finished her master’s in 2021 at the University of Washington studying how different groups of people engage with climate change science and policies. In her free time, she teaches partner dancing and reads as many fun and frivolous books that she can get her hands on.