Marguerite Augusta Marie Löwenhielm (27 July 1830 – 19 March 1915) was a French mycologist and author during the 19th and early 20th centuries who studied the effectiveness of new "Americanist" varieties of grapevine in surviving the harmful insect pest Phylloxera.
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Biography
Early life
Marguerite Marie was born on 27 July 1830 in Paris to Count Gustaf Löwenhielm and Cléonice de Baguet. Her father, nearly sixty at the time of her birth, raised her like the son he'd always wanted. She was taught Latin, biology, mathematics, and drawing. From an early age, she became interested in horsemanship and practiced riding under a Scottish equerry. Winemaking and grape cultivation quickly became another passion of Marguerite's. Introduced to the family trade by her maternal grandmother, Marguerite assisted in producing small batches of wine on a plot of land south of Paris.
Marriage
In 1847, Marguerite was presented to King Louis Philippe I and Queen Marie Amélie in a private audience. Four years later, she married Duke Edouard de Fitz-James and had four children with him.