Jeanne Baret
First woman to circumnavigate the globe, disguised as a man.
Jeanne Baret (27 July 1740 – 5 August 1807) was a French explorer, naturalist, and botanist. She is known as the first woman to travel all the way around the world by sea, a feat she achieved as part of Louis Antoine de Bougainville’s expedition aboard the ships *Boudeuse* and *Étoile* between 1766 and 1769. To get on board, she disguised herself as a man and went by the name Jean Baret, signing on as the valet and assistant to the expedition’s naturalist, Philibert Commerson, just before the ships left France. According to Bougainville, Baret was an expert botanist.
Baret was born on 27 July 1740 in the village of La Comelle in Burgundy and was baptised the next day. Her baptism record, which still exists, lists her as the legitimate child of Jean Baret and Jeanne Pochard. Her father was a day labourer and likely could not read or write. Her mother died in November 1741, when Baret was about a year old. Her father then married Antoinette Mangematin, who died in 1745, and then Jeanne Teuvenot, who died in 1747. Baret’s father died in December 1755; the death register mentions a son, Pierre Baret (born 1734), and a son-in-law, meaning Baret had a brother and a sister. Almost nothing is known about her childhood or young adulthood, and she does not appear in official records again until 1764. Her biographer Danielle Clode thinks she may have lived with her sister’s family in Rosières, near Toulon-sur-Arroux. How she learned to write is unknown, but by 1764 she could sign her name on official documents.
Philibert Commerson was born in 1727 in Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, the son of a lawyer. He studied medicine at the University of Montpellier and became a doctor in 1754, by which time he was already a keen botanist. On 17 October 1760 he married Antoinette Beau, the well-off daughter of a lawyer, and settled as the town doctor in Toulon-sur-Arroux, where his brother-in-law François Beau was the parish priest. Three days after giving birth to their son Anne-François Archambaud in April 1762, Commerson’s wife died. At some point between 1760 and 1764, Baret began working as Commerson’s housekeeper. It seems most likely she took over running his household after his wife’s death, if not before. It is also clear they had a personal relationship: Baret became pregnant in 1764. French law at the time required unmarried pregnant women to make a *déclaration de grossess
- born
- 27 July 1740, La Comelle, Burgundy, France
- died
- 5 August 1807
- field
- Exploration, natural history, botany
- nationality
- French
- known_for
- First woman to circumnavigate the globe; disguised as a man to join Bougainville's expedition
Lore & Background
Jeanne Baret was born on 27 July 1740 in the village of La Comelle in Burgundy, the legitimate issue of Jean Baret and Jeanne Pochard. Her mother died in November 1741, and her father remarried twice before his death in December 1755. Little is known of her childhood or young adulthood; she reappears in official records in 1764. By that time she had learned to write, as evidenced by her signature on an official document. Her biographer Danielle Clode speculates she lived with her sister's family in Rosières, close to Toulon-sur-Arroux.
At some point between 1760 and 1764, Baret became employed as housekeeper to Philibert Commerson, a doctor and passionate botanist. They shared a personal relationship, and Baret became pregnant in 1764. French law required unmarried pregnant women to make a déclaration de grossesse; Baret did so on 22 August 1764, refusing to name the father, though historians do not doubt it was Commerson. Shortly after, they moved to Paris, where Baret used the name 'Jeanne de Bonnefoy.' Her child, Jean-Pierre Barret, was born in December 1764 and died in March 1765. She had another son, Aimé Eugène Prosper Bonnefoy, born 15 May 1766, whose fate is unknown. In Paris, Commerson instructed Baret in botany, and she attended public lectures by Bernard de Jussieu at the Jardin du Roi.
In 1765, Commerson was invited to join Bougainville's expedition. He hesitated due to poor health and required Baret's assistance. Women were prohibited on French navy ships, so Baret disguised herself as a man, joining the expedition at Rochefort in late December 1766 on the storeship Étoile. The ship's captain gave up his large cabin to Commerson and his 'assistant,' affording Baret privacy. She accompanied Commerson on collecting expeditions in Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, and Patagonia, carrying supplies and specimens, and gained a reputation for courage and strength. Commerson, hampered by a leg injury, called her his 'beast of burden.'
Reader's Guide
Jeanne Baret's significance lies in her being the first woman to complete a circumnavigation of the globe, a feat achieved under the disguise of a man. Her participation in Bougainville's expedition (1766–1769) as the assistant to naturalist Philibert Commerson allowed her to contribute to botanical collection and cataloguing, despite the restrictions on women in French naval service. The expedition's accounts, including Bougainville's published narrative and memoirs by other crew members, preserve her story, though details of her early life and the exact timing of the discovery of her sex remain uncertain. Baret's legacy is that of a pioneering explorer and botanist who overcame societal and legal barriers to participate in a major scientific voyage. Her life illustrates the challenges faced by women in science and exploration during the 18th century.
Did You Know?
- Jeanne Baret joined the Bougainville expedition disguised as a man, calling herself Jean Baret.
- She was an expert botanist, according to Bougainville's account.
- Baret made a déclaration de grossesse in 1764, five months pregnant, and refused to name the father.
- The ship's captain gave up his large cabin on the Étoile to Commerson and Baret, giving her private toilet facilities.
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