The essence of a story can change
depending on the point of view from which it is told. The story of Jeanne Baret
was scandalous for her time. She was daring, ambitious, determined and a woman.
She was the first woman to circumnavigate around the world and she had to do it
disguised as a man.
The mysteries and intrigue of the
seas has been a pull for many ardent seafarers. Traversing untameable waters
and surviving ferocious and raging elements was the domain of strong and masculine
sailors. It was no place for feminine and lady like women. Still many women opted
to disguise themselves as men to pursue such careers even with the risk of
being found out.
Jeanne’s daring scheme took place
during the latter half of the 18th century from 1766 to 1769. Born
into a peasant family in 1740 in the Loire Valley of France, she was taught how
to identify different plants used in the treatment of wounds and diseases. It
was a work that Jeanne was particularly talented at, and it was through this
that she came to meet her accomplice to the plot, Philibert
Commerson, a nobleman and avid collector of plants.
When it was announced in 1765 that
two ships would be sent around the world by the French government to discover new
territories for France, they also required a botanist on board. That botanist turned
out to be Commerson. He needed an assistant and the pair plotted for Jeanne to
dress up as a man and turn up by accident and be hired on the day of departure.
To pass as a man, Jeanne had to bandage her chest even though it made breathing
difficult. She would carry a loaded pistol with her and did not undress around
the rest of the sailors or use the restroom with them which eventually started
to raise suspicions among the crew. After serving more than a year on the ship she
was eventually discovered when the ship reached Tahiti in the South Pacific. [1]
There have been different
accounts of Jeanne Baret’s story and how she was discovered although her own
diary accounts do not reflect some of these stories. Regardless of public
opinion of her infamous scheme, Jeanne Baret won her place in history and eventually
gained recognition as the first woman to circumnavigate the world on her return
to France between 1774 to 1775.
Historically, it was believed to
be bad luck to have a woman on board a merchant or navy vessel and prior to the
1900s most women became involved with the operation of merchant ships through
their relation to the ship’s captain either through marriage or birth. The
times have changed, and women are now independently choosing to be seafarers
and encouraging other women interested in pursuing careers on the high seas.
References
- https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/01/23/145664873/the-first-woman-to-go-round-the-world-did-it-as-a-man
- https://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/jeanne-baret/
- https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/maritimewomenhistory.htm
- https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna32875092
- https://www.un.org/en/observances/maritime-day