True Life Tuesday: Jeanne Baret

Jeanne Baret was born on July 27, 1740 in the village of La Comelle in Burgundy France. Her parents were Jean Baret, a day laborer, and Jeanne Pochard. Her mother died in November 1741 and her father in December 1755. Little is know about her early life. Sometime between 1760 and 1764 she became a housekeeper in the home of Philbert Commerson, a doctor and passionate botanist, in Toulon-Sur-Cerroux. In 1764 she became pregnant and it is believed that Commerson was the father although she refused to name who the father was publicly which was a requirement for unwed mothers at the time. She and Commerson moved to Paris soon after her pregnancy declaration. Her child was born in December 1764 and was given u in January 1765. 

While living in Paris Commerson instructed Jeanne in the field of botany. In December 1766 Baret and Commerson joined the Bougainville expedition. Since having a woman onboard would not have been allowed she disguised herself as a man and Commerson's aide. Commerson suffered from seasickness and an ulcer in his leg so Baret spent most of her time nursing him. She was discovered in April 1768 when the expedition reached Tahiti. When they landed the locals called out that she was a woman and she ended up having to return to the ship. Once the expedition made it to Mauritius (then the Isle de France) she and Commerson Commerson stayed behind since Commerson;s old friend Pierre Poivre was governor. While on the island Jeanne still worked for Commerson and went on plant collections in Madagascar. In 1770 she was granted property in the capital of Port Louie. Commerson died on the island in February 1773. On May 17, 1774 she married Jean Dubernat, a non-commissioned officer in the French army. She returned to France sometime in 1775. After applying to the Attorney General she received the money left to her in Commerson's will in April 1776. She and her husband bought property in Dubernat's native village of Saint-Aulaye, Dordogne where they lived with their nieces and nephews. In 1785 she was granted a pension of 200 livres per year by the Ministry of Marine. Jeanne Baret died on August 5. 1807.

In 2018 the International Astronomical Union naed a mountain range on Pluto after her. She was also 1 of 10 inspiring French women celebrated with a golden statue rising out of the Seine during the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony. Finally, in 2026 it was proposed the have her name added to the Eiffel Tower along with 72 other historical women in STEM.