Frances Wieser

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Frances Wieser
Born
Francisca Wieser

1869
DiedJanuary 15, 1949
Washington, D.C, U.S.
Resting placeGlenwood Cemetery, Washington, D.C
NationalityAmerican
Other namesFrances A. Wieser, Francesca Wieser
Occupation(s)Scientific illustrator, drafter, artist, photographic assistant
Employer(s)United States Geological Survey,
United States National Museum

Francisca Wieser, also known as Frances A. Wieser,[1][2] or Francesca Wieser (1869 – January 15, 1949) was an American scientific illustrator, drafter, artist, and photographic assistant.[3] She worked for the United States Geological Survey,[1] and the United States National Museum (now the National Museum of Natural History) from 1911 to 1929[4] with the title of "paleontologic draftsman".[5] She was known for her drawings of fossils.[4]

Biography

Francisca A. Wieser was born on 1869 in Washington, D.C., in the United States. She was the daughter of German immigrants, her mother was Sophia Ailer (née Seitz),[6] and her father was a war veteran (1st Maryland Cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War) and a visual artist, Louis Wieser (1836–1904).[1][7] Her younger sister Florence Wieser (1877–1949) also worked as an illustrator and artist at the United States Geological Survey.[8] From early childhood she had a love of creating art.[1]

She served as an artist and illustrator to several departments and for several people, including Ray S. Bassler,[3] and Charles Doolittle Walcott.[4][9] Wieser used a combination of a microscope and drawing, camera lucida,[10] to record fossils that were millions of years old,[11] and was recognized for her ability to capture details of fossils by drawing rather than relying on photography.[12]

Death and legacy

Wieser died on January 15, 1949, in Washington, D.C.,[2] at St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric hospital where she was a resident.[13]

In 1904, the Cythere francisca or C. francisca fossil was named in her honor by the

Maryland Geological Survey.[14] In 1911, Ray S. Bassler named the Sceptropora francisca or S. francisca fossil in her honor.[15]

Publications

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Reconstructs Fossils A Hundred Million Years Old for the Government". Newspapers.com. Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). April 2, 1916. p. 56. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  2. ^ a b "Wiener, Frances A.". Evening Star (Obituary). January 17, 1949. p. A-10.
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ a b c "Turns Artist Pen From Science to War Work". Newspapers.com. Evening Star. November 4, 1917. p. 25. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  5. Newspapers.com
    .
  6. ^ "Funeral For Mrs. Wieser". Evening Star. 1908-11-23. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  7. ^ "Death of Louis Wieser". Evening Star. 1904-03-09. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
  8. ^ "Woman's World Miss Florence Wieser, a Talented Artist Connected with the Geological Survey". Reading Times. 1906-06-12. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  9. ^ F. L. K. (1914). "Review of Early Fossil Brachiopods". 93. Springer Nature: 62–63. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ United States National Museum; Smithsonian Institution; United States. Dept. of the Interior (1878). Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Smithsonian Libraries. Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] p. 499.
  11. ^ Padgett, Edward (1916-07-30). "Women who do unusual work for Uncle Sam". The Journal and Tribune. p. 33. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  12. ^ "Unusual people". Battle Creek Enquirer. 1924-11-07. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-05-07.
  13. ^ "Frances A Weiser in the District of Columbia, U.S., Glenwood Cemetery Records, 1854-2013". Ancestry.com. District of Columbia, Glenwood Cemetery Records, 1854-2013. 2019. Res. of St. Elizabeth Hospital
  14. ^ Reports Dealing with the Systematic Geology and Paleontology of Maryland. Maryland Geological Survey. Johns Hopkins Press. 1904. pp. 110–111.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. .