The stamps feature two hand-colored engravings, one of a pineapple and one of a citron, from original watercolors done by artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717). Merian spent two years in Surinam studying and painting insects, plants, and animals. Her first edition book, "Metamorphosis of Insects of Surinam," published in 1705, resulted in the firm establishment of her reputation as a scientist as well as an artist.