Edward Shearman Ross' lifelong interest in insects began in his youth in San Francisco and was encouraged by his artist father. He attended Linfield College, which was endowed by his family, and then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, to major in entomology, where he was E.O. Essig's teaching assistant. Before his PhD was conferred, he was employed as curator of insects at the California Academy of Sciences. During World War II, he served as Commanding Officer of an army malaria survey unit in combat zones of New Guinea and the Philippines. A Guggenheim Grant enabled Ross to photograph insects in Amazonian forests. As he searched for embiids in Mexico, Central and South America, and throughout Africa, India, Asia, and Australia, he photographed tribal peoples. He produced scientific and popular articles and taught insect biology at U.C. Berkeley. After 70 years at the Academy, he continues to work in his home lab and office and curate the 350,000 embiid specimens.