Jeanne Villepreux-Power
Encyclopedia
Jeanne Villepreux-Power was a pioneering female French marine biologist who in 1832 was the first person to create aquaria
for experimenting with aquatic organisms.
She was born in Juillac
, and travelled to Paris
to become a dressmaker, where she became well known for creating a princess' wedding suit. She met and married the noble Englishman James Power in 1818 and the couple moved to Sicily
.
In Sicily she began to study natural history, in particular she made physical observations and experiments on marine and terrestrial animals, pioneering the use of the aquarium. She also studied molluscs and their fossils, in particular she favoured Argonauta argo
. She was the first woman member of the Catania Accademia, and a correspondent member of the London Zoological Society and sixteen other learned societies.
In 1997 her name, "Villepreux-Power," was given to a crater on Venus discovered by the Magellan probe
.
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
for experimenting with aquatic organisms.
She was born in Juillac
Juillac
Juillac may refer to the following communes in France:*Juillac, Corrèze*Juillac, Gers*Juillac, Gironde*Juillac-le-Coq, in the department of Charente...
, and travelled to 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...
to become a dressmaker, where she became well known for creating a princess' wedding suit. She met and married the noble Englishman James Power in 1818 and the couple moved to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
In Sicily she began to study natural history, in particular she made physical observations and experiments on marine and terrestrial animals, pioneering the use of the aquarium. She also studied molluscs and their fossils, in particular she favoured Argonauta argo
Greater Argonaut
Argonauta argo, also known as the greater argonaut, is a species of pelagic octopus belonging to the genus Argonauta. The female of the species, like all argonauts, creates a paper-thin eggcase that coils around the octopus much like the way a nautilus lives in its shell, hence the name paper...
. She was the first woman member of the Catania Accademia, and a correspondent member of the London Zoological Society and sixteen other learned societies.
In 1997 her name, "Villepreux-Power," was given to a crater on Venus discovered by the Magellan probe
Magellan probe
The Magellan spacecraft, also referred to as the Venus Radar Mapper, was a 1,035-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on May 4, 1989, to map the surface of Venus using Synthetic Aperture Radar and measure the planetary gravity...
.