Fossils, drawings and letters. Women’s contribution to the development of early 19th century geosciences

Antonia Cofano¹ & Rossella De Ceglie^1
1Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Dipartimento di Ricerca e Innovazione Umanistica, Piazza Umberto I, 1, 70121 Bari BA.
Corresponding author e-mail: cofanotonia099@gmail.com

In the early nineteenth century, the Earth Sciences experienced a great impetus, and it is interesting to note the participation of female scholars in this field. Although on the margins of scientific institutions, taking advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves, these women made contributions to the development of geology and paleontology. In particular, in this paper attention is focused on the figures of Mary Anning (1799-1847), a pioneer in paleontology, Elizabeth Philpot (1779-1857), Mary Morland (1797-1857) and Charlotte Hugonin (1788-1869). Through the examination of archival material, letters, drawings, as well as publications, an attempt is made to delineate the relationships and the contributions they made to Earth sciences.

women in geosciences, fossils, drawings, letters.