Jeanne Baret: The First Woman to Sail Around the World

If living as a woman coupled with the repression that comes tied to it isn’t challenging enough as it is, the sad story of Jeanne Baret will surely bring a whole new light to what it was really like to be a woman living in the past.

The Expedition

In 1766, Jeanne Baret signed up to be part of Louis Antoine de Bouganville’s expedition to circumnavigate the world, her expertise as a botanist a perfect addition to the all-male crew set to conquer the vast seas. Her lover, Philibert Commerson, had already secured a place in the party, and Jeanne, not wanting to be away from him for such a long time, decided to conceal her identity by masquerading as a young boy assistant to Commerson. Together, the two adventurers were able to document numerous plants which were formerly undiscovered. Commerson named and entire group of plants Baretia, comparing the beauty of the flowers to his Jeanne. It seemed like the perfect story of discovery until other members of the crew began to suspect that the young boy wasn’t really who he said he was.

It was once believed that natives from Tahiti recognized her being a woman and were the reason for her being discovered but a different and darker version to the story has been uncovered recently.”