In 1766, since women were not allowed on French naval vessels, Jeanne Baret dressed as a teenage boy in order to accompany her manfriend, renowned botanist Philibert Commerson on a voyage. Glynis Ridley, who wrote a biography of Baret, explains: "The captain of the ship actually interrogated her at one point… and she said she was a eunuch." Now, a plant — Solanum baretiae, a distant relative of the tomato and potato — has been named for Baret. Obviously her story would be an amazing movie, so let's think about casting choices! Charlotte Gainsbourg? Virginie Ledoyen? Ludivine Sagnier?
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Jan 5, 2012 2:45 PM
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18th Century Explorer Dude Was Actually a Woman Dressed As a Man
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