Pursuing proper protocol: Sarah Bowdich's purview of the sciences of exploration

Description/Abstract

Attempting to correct, in small part, the invisibility of women participating in nineteenth-century science, this article brings to attention the work of the scientist, artist, and writer Mrs. Sarah Bowdich. Bowdich employed the vehicle of biography to overcome the obstacles that discouraged women from entering scientific disciplines, publishing her biography of the French scientist Georges Cuvier and her report of T. Edward Bowdich's explorations in the Gambia to international acclaim. Through these publications, Bowdich succeeded in disseminating her own scientific contributions in field-based research, gaining respect in both English and French scientific communities.