Francisca Wieser, also known as Frances A. Wieser, or Francesca Wieser ( – ) was an American

scientific illustrator Technical Illustration is illustration meant to visually communicate information of a technical nature. Technical illustrations can be components of technical drawings or diagrams. Technical illustrations in general aim "to generate expressive ...

, drafter, artist, and photographic assistant. She worked for the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

, and the United States National Museum (now the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

) from 1911 to 1929 with the title of "paleontologic draftsman". She was known for her drawings of fossils.

Biography

Francisca A. Wieser was born on in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in the United States. She was the daughter of German immigrants, her mother was Sophia Ailer (née Seitz), and her father was a war veteran ( 1st Maryland Cavalry in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

) and a visual artist, Louis Wieser (1836–1904). Her younger sister Florence Wieser (1877–1949) also worked as an illustrator and artist at the United States Geological Survey. From early childhood she had a love of creating art. She served as an artist and illustrator to several departments and for several people, including

Ray S. Bassler Ray Smith Bassler (July 22, 1878 – October 3, 1961) was an American geologist and paleontologist. Biography Bassler was born in 1878, in Philadelphia. When he was in high school he used to sell fossils for Edward Oscar Ulrich. He got his ...

, and Charles Doolittle Walcott. Wieser used a combination of a microscope and drawing,

camera lucida A ''camera lucida'' is an optical device used as a drawing aid by artists and microscopists. The ''camera lucida'' performs an optical superimposition of the subject being viewed upon the surface upon which the artist is drawing. The artist se ...

, to record fossils that were millions of years old, and was recognized for her ability to capture details of fossils by drawing rather than relying on photography.

Death and legacy

Wieser died on January 15, 1949, in Washington, D.C. at

St. Elizabeths Hospital St. Elizabeths Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Southeast, Washington, D.C. operated by the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health. It opened in 1855 under the name Government Hospital for the Insane, the first federally oper ...

, a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

where she was a resident. In 1904, the ''Cythere francisca'' or ''C. francisca'' fossil was named in her honor by the

Maryland Geological Survey The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is a government agency in the state of Maryland charged with maintaining natural resources including state parks, public lands, state forests, state waterways, wildlife, and recreation areas. It ...

. In 1911, Ray S. Bassler named the ''Sceptropora francisca'' or ''S. francisca'' fossil in her honor.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wieser, Francisca Created via preloaddraft 1869 births 1949 deaths Artists from Washington, D.C. American illustrators Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) American women illustrators Scientific illustrators Paleoartists United States Geological Survey personnel American people of German descent 20th-century American women artists