Rose de Freycinet
Encyclopedia
Rose de Freycinet, born Rose Pinon, (1794 – 7 May 1832) was a Frenchwoman
who, in the company of her husband, Louis de Freycinet
, sailed around the world between 1817 and 1820 on a French scientific expedition on a military ship, initially disguised as a man. While not the first woman to circumnavigate the world
, she was the first to record her experiences, in a diary. Being not intended for publication and being both frank and personal musings about people, places and events, her writings represent an important anthropological resource.
, in the Yonne
department, to a middle-class family. Her mother was possibly called Jeanne Pinon; the name of her father is not known today. Jeanne Pinon ran a boarding school for girls. Rose was educated in that school, along with some 40 young ladies from Paris
.
Rose was the oldest daughter. Her father died while she was relatively young, followed by her brother, leaving Rose with the responsibility of looking after her sisters. She had a younger sister, Stéphanie, who later also took to the sea and sailed for Mauritius
in 1818; Stéphanie married a civil servant, M. Maillard, who later repudiated her.
n coastline in the period 1801-3. It is on that voyage he would have been aware of his leader Nicolas Baudin's meeting with Matthew Flinders
and of their virtually simultaneous proving that New Holland of the Dutch and New South Wales of Cook were part of one island continent Australia. Displaying considerable cartographic skill, when Baudin's second ship was sent home under Jacques Hamelin laden with specimens and records, de Freycinet was elevated above others to command "Casuarina", a small vessel purchased in order to continue the surveys. After finalising an account of the voyage after the death of both Baudin and the voyage anthropologist François Peron who attempted to complete the account, in 1817 he was given command of the Uranie on an expedition under the auspices of the French Navy
and the Ministry of the Interior
, in which Louis Isidore Duperrey
, Jacques Arago
, Adrien Taunay the Younger
, and others went to Rio de Janeiro
to perform various scientific measurements and to collect specimens in natural history. Newly-married to Rose Pinon and perhaps aware of Flinder's imprisonment and his enforced separation from his wife Ann, they conspired to avoid a similar fate aboard. Dressed in men's clothes; Rose deFreycinet became the first woman to write an account of her experiences circumnavigating the world.
To prepare the ship for his wife's presence, de Freycinet had the living quarters of the corvette
renovated (they were refurbished and extended, even at the expense of the ship's navigability), and much attention was paid to hygienic standards aboard the ship, food safety, and health. Apparently, becoming a stowaway was Rose's own idea; she may have hatched the plan as early as 1815, and probably solidified her scheme after her husband received approval for the expedition, in October 1816. She went on board on 16 September 1816; report of her presence reached the French media soon after, leading to sensational reports in the press and "indignation in official circles." The presence of women aboard Navy vessels was illegal, and it is possible that the Navy, the Ministry of the Interior, and the press learned of Rose's presence from an officer who was removed to make way for her. At any rate, Rose initially dressed as a man, and even visited the governor of Gibraltar
dressed in "a blue frock-coat with trousers to match."
The Navy was powerless, since the first French port of call for the Uranie was Réunion
, in the Indian Ocean
, which was not reached until 1818. When the ship did land there, the local governor was unable or unwilling to act, swayed as he was, according to Rose, by her husband's arguments and her charm. A court martial that investigated the shipwreck, in 1820, never mentioned Rose's presence.
The expedition brought back a great number of scientific specimens, including minerals, plants, insects, animals, despite the shipwreck of the Uranie in 1820 in the Falkland Islands
. According to Jacques Arago, the artist who had been hired to do botanical and other illustrations and who was the only civilian on board, during the shipwreck Rose de Freycinet behaved herself admirably. Her diary, however, was not published until 1927.
. With a Dr. Gaimard, who had also traveled aboard the Uranie, Rose nursed him back to health, even though she suffered from a stomach ailment. However, she herself became ill, and died on 7 May 1832.
, in what is now American Samoa
, named for her by her husband in 1819 and a dove the Colomb Pinon. Her diary was not published until 1927.
Rose de Freycinet's life and adventures were recounted by Marnie Bassett
, Realms and Islands (1962) and by Marc Serge Rivière, A Woman of Courage: The journal of Rose de Freycinet on her voyage around the world, 1817-1820 (2003). Interest in her and her diary led to a renewed interest in the wreck of the Uranie in the Falkland Islands
. In 2001 an expedition organized by the Western Australian Museum
"conducted research, search and survey aimed at adding to the body of knowledge about the de Freycinets, their ship and their camp." The wreck was relocated and a report into the extensive survivor's camp and the wreck was prepared
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
who, in the company of her husband, Louis de Freycinet
Louis de Freycinet
Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet was a French navigator. He circumnavigated the earth, and was one of the first to produce a comprehensive map of the coastline of Australia.-Biography:...
, sailed around the world between 1817 and 1820 on a French scientific expedition on a military ship, initially disguised as a man. While not the first woman to circumnavigate the world
Jeanne Baré
Jeanne Baret was a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville's expedition on the ships La Boudeuse and Étoile in 1766–1769. Baret is recognized as the first woman to have completed a voyage of circumnavigation.Jeanne Baret joined the expedition disguised as a man, calling herself Jean Baret...
, she was the first to record her experiences, in a diary. Being not intended for publication and being both frank and personal musings about people, places and events, her writings represent an important anthropological resource.
Early years
De Freycinet was born Rose Pinon in Saint-Julien-du-SaultSaint-Julien-du-Sault
Saint-Julien-du-Sault is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.-References:*...
, in the Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
department, to a middle-class family. Her mother was possibly called Jeanne Pinon; the name of her father is not known today. Jeanne Pinon ran a boarding school for girls. Rose was educated in that school, along with some 40 young ladies from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Rose was the oldest daughter. Her father died while she was relatively young, followed by her brother, leaving Rose with the responsibility of looking after her sisters. She had a younger sister, Stéphanie, who later also took to the sea and sailed for Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
in 1818; Stéphanie married a civil servant, M. Maillard, who later repudiated her.
Marriage to de Freycinet
At age 19, Rose married 35-year old Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet, a member of the French aristocracy. The difference in social class proved no impediment for a happy marriage; by all accounts her in-laws loved and respected her, and throughout her life Rose maintained an animated correspondence with her in-laws, wherever her travels took her.Aboard the Uranie
Louis de Freycinet had earlier participated in the Baudin voyage that produced the first map of the AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n coastline in the period 1801-3. It is on that voyage he would have been aware of his leader Nicolas Baudin's meeting with Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
and of their virtually simultaneous proving that New Holland of the Dutch and New South Wales of Cook were part of one island continent Australia. Displaying considerable cartographic skill, when Baudin's second ship was sent home under Jacques Hamelin laden with specimens and records, de Freycinet was elevated above others to command "Casuarina", a small vessel purchased in order to continue the surveys. After finalising an account of the voyage after the death of both Baudin and the voyage anthropologist François Peron who attempted to complete the account, in 1817 he was given command of the Uranie on an expedition under the auspices of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
and the Ministry of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
, in which Louis Isidore Duperrey
Louis Isidore Duperrey
Louis Isidore Duperrey was a French sailor and explorer.Duperrey joined the navy in 1800, and served as marine hydrologist to Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet aboard the Uranie...
, Jacques Arago
Jacques Arago
Jacques Étienne Victor Arago was a French writer, artist and explorer, author of a Voyage Round the World.-Biography:...
, Adrien Taunay the Younger
Adrien Taunay the Younger
Adrien Taunay the Younger was a French painter and draftsman.He was born in Paris in 1803, the son of history and genre painter Nicolas-Antoine Taunay . Adrien moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1816, accompanying his father, who was a member of the French Artistic Mission...
, and others went to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
to perform various scientific measurements and to collect specimens in natural history. Newly-married to Rose Pinon and perhaps aware of Flinder's imprisonment and his enforced separation from his wife Ann, they conspired to avoid a similar fate aboard. Dressed in men's clothes; Rose deFreycinet became the first woman to write an account of her experiences circumnavigating the world.
To prepare the ship for his wife's presence, de Freycinet had the living quarters of the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
renovated (they were refurbished and extended, even at the expense of the ship's navigability), and much attention was paid to hygienic standards aboard the ship, food safety, and health. Apparently, becoming a stowaway was Rose's own idea; she may have hatched the plan as early as 1815, and probably solidified her scheme after her husband received approval for the expedition, in October 1816. She went on board on 16 September 1816; report of her presence reached the French media soon after, leading to sensational reports in the press and "indignation in official circles." The presence of women aboard Navy vessels was illegal, and it is possible that the Navy, the Ministry of the Interior, and the press learned of Rose's presence from an officer who was removed to make way for her. At any rate, Rose initially dressed as a man, and even visited the governor of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
dressed in "a blue frock-coat with trousers to match."
The Navy was powerless, since the first French port of call for the Uranie was Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, which was not reached until 1818. When the ship did land there, the local governor was unable or unwilling to act, swayed as he was, according to Rose, by her husband's arguments and her charm. A court martial that investigated the shipwreck, in 1820, never mentioned Rose's presence.
The expedition brought back a great number of scientific specimens, including minerals, plants, insects, animals, despite the shipwreck of the Uranie in 1820 in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
. According to Jacques Arago, the artist who had been hired to do botanical and other illustrations and who was the only civilian on board, during the shipwreck Rose de Freycinet behaved herself admirably. Her diary, however, was not published until 1927.
Death
In Paris, 1832, Louis fell ill with choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. With a Dr. Gaimard, who had also traveled aboard the Uranie, Rose nursed him back to health, even though she suffered from a stomach ailment. However, she herself became ill, and died on 7 May 1832.
Legacy and publications
Rose de Freycinet's name is remembered in the Rose AtollRose Atoll
Rose Atoll, sometimes called Rose Island or Motu O Manu by people of the nearby Manu'a Islands, is an oceanic atoll within the U.S. territory of American Samoa. It is an uninhabited wildlife refuge. It is the southernmost point in the United States. The land area is 0.214 km²...
, in what is now American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, named for her by her husband in 1819 and a dove the Colomb Pinon. Her diary was not published until 1927.
Rose de Freycinet's life and adventures were recounted by Marnie Bassett
Marnie Bassett
Flora Marjorie Bassett was an Australian historian and biographer.-Life:Bassett was born in Melbourne to academic parents, Sir David Orme Masson, a professor of chemistry, and his wife Mary, née Struthers. She grew up in and around the University of Melbourne...
, Realms and Islands (1962) and by Marc Serge Rivière, A Woman of Courage: The journal of Rose de Freycinet on her voyage around the world, 1817-1820 (2003). Interest in her and her diary led to a renewed interest in the wreck of the Uranie in the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
. In 2001 an expedition organized by the Western Australian Museum
Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle , and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
"conducted research, search and survey aimed at adding to the body of knowledge about the de Freycinets, their ship and their camp." The wreck was relocated and a report into the extensive survivor's camp and the wreck was prepared