Agathe Haevermans: Scientific Illustrator

Agathe Haevermans always wanted to pursue illustration, but the market for those careers made it difficult for her to take the leap. However, she’d always loved all things nature, so she took a competitive exam to work at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. 

“What fascinates me most about plants must be their evolution. They grow, they sprout, they bloom, they produce new fruits, and they wither. No two plants are the same. No two moments, no two instances are identical, and that’s what makes it so interesting.”

As fate would have it, after a workplace accident, Agathe was able to shift her focus at the museum, and she was finally able to pursue scientific illustration. 

“There was absolutely no training at the time. So, I learned a bit on the job…If you understand what you’re seeing, you’ll be able to draw it and convey it, so someone else can understand.”

Part of Agathe’s work involves describing brand new species, and her illustrations of them create a bridge for those who want to learn. It allows a certain kind of accessibility to new information that other methods of teaching might not always take into account. 

“The depiction of a new species, the visual support provided by the botanical plate is very important because it allows people who don’t speak the same language to see that illustration, identify the plant, see it, and understand it.”

A film by Leslie Askew.

Produced by Turlough White.