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Our next show, Men On Boats, capsizes the white male conquest narrative and features ten extraordinary women in the roles of John Wesley Powell and his intrepid crew. In honor of this gleeful gender-bend, we’re launching this #womancrushwednesday series, featuring adventurers from past and present. Check back every Wednesday to learn about these badass women!
This week’s #WomanCrush is botanist and explorer Jeanne Baret (1740-1807). Disguised as a man and under the assumed name “Jean Baret”, Jeanne Baret became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. An accomplished botanist, Baret enlisted as a valet on the global expedition of Admiral Louis-Antoine de Bougainville from 1766-1769, and worked alongside the ship’s botanist (her friend and lover) to collect samples and identify new species. Baret’s true identity was discovered at some point during the expedition (accounts differ as to the exact details), and she was ultimately left behind on Mauritius, then known as the Isle de France.
