Jeanne Villepreux-Power

Jeanne Villepreux-Power (born September 24, 1794 in Juillac ; † January 25, 1871 ibid) was a French marine biologist and seamstress . She is considered to be the first person to use aquariums to experiment with aquatic organisms.

biography

Villepreux-Power was born in Juillac as the child of a shoemaker. At the age of 18 she went to Paris to become a seamstress. Her skills became known early on and she was allowed to design the wedding dress of Princess Maria Karolina of Naples-Sicily for the wedding of Charles Ferdinand d'Artois . In 1818 she met the English merchant James Power and married him. The couple then moved to Sicily , where they began their scientific research with observations and experiments on marine animals. The couple left Sicily in 1843. It came to a ship sinking in which many of their works were destroyed. The couple then lived alternately in Paris and London . In 1870 Villepreux-Power returned to Juilliac, where she died the following year.

Scientific work

She developed several types of aquariums. Her research focus was on the study of molluscs . With the large paper boat (Argonauta argo) she found out that these octopuses make their own shell.

Villepreux-Power was a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London and many other scientific societies .

Awards

In 1997 a Venus crater was named “Villepreux-Power” in her honor .

Web links

Jeanne Villepreux-Power - Britannica.com
Wealth of cephalopod research lost in a 19th century shipwreck - ScienceNews.org

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Marissa Fessenden: A 19th Century Shipwreck Might Be Why This Famous Female Naturalist Faded to Obscurity. In: Smithsonian - SmartNews. June 2, 2015. From SmithsonianMag.com, accessed February 11, 2019.
^ Claude Arnal: Jeanne Villepreux-Power - A Pioneering Experimental Malcologist. In: The Malacological Society of London - Bulletin. From MalacSoc.org.uk, accessed February 11, 2019.

personal data
SURNAME	Villepreux-Power, Jeanne
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Power, Jeanne; Power, Giovanna
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French seamstress and marine biologist
DATE OF BIRTH	September 24, 1794
PLACE OF BIRTH	Juillac
DATE OF DEATH	January 25, 1871
Place of death	Juillac

[smithsonian-1] Marissa Fessenden: A 19th Century Shipwreck Might Be Why This Famous Female Naturalist Faded to Obscurity. In: Smithsonian - SmartNews. June 2, 2015. From SmithsonianMag.com, accessed February 11, 2019.

[2] Claude Arnal: Jeanne Villepreux-Power - A Pioneering Experimental Malcologist. In: The Malacological Society of London - Bulletin. From MalacSoc.org.uk, accessed February 11, 2019.