Early Trailblazers

Women Illustrators in Paleontology

In the late 1700s to early 1800s, women in Great Britain and the United States – which only formally became independent from Britain in 1783 – were barred from professional science. Universities and scientific societies did not admit women. No women worked as professors, and few scientific journals would publish women’s writing or research. Most women in natural history were amateurs and hobbyists who contributed from the margins of science. Due to the common practice of slavery and the belief in the superiority of British and British-derived American culture, even these roles were largely limited to white women.

During this time, most women in paleontology were middle to upper class. These women had the greatest access to education and leisure time to pursue their interests. Nevertheless, social expectations restricted the education and activities of these privileged women. They were expected to stay “respectable” and clean. Digging for fossils was considered dirty, physically difficult, and dangerous.

This meant most women interested in paleontology were limited to identifying fossils and illustrating specimens for male family members and friends. Art was a common and acceptable pastime for middle-class and wealthy white women. Scientific illustration was an opportunity for these women to contribute to the field of paleontology within social boundaries. Before photography, illustrations were the only way scientists could view far-away specimens, landscapes, and rock formations. Natural history illustrations required artistic skill and knowledge of anatomy, biology, and geology. Many women who were illustrators also provided scientific input to their male peers behind the scenes.

Scientific illustration earned less respect because it was associated with women. Even when paid for their work, illustrators did not always receive full credit. Despite prejudice and erasure, women illustrators made important contributions to paleontology and geology.

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What is Paleoart?

Classism in Early Paleontology

Participation in science was often a luxury in the 1700s and 1800s. Most men and women of science were middle class or wealthy. The cost of scientific training, limited opportunities for income, and class stigma excluded working-class people from science. Even scientific illustrators were from families who could afford art lessons and had connections in the scientific community. Mary Anning, who was self taught and sold fossils to support her family, is one notable exception.

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Early American Women in Paleontology

In the three decades from 1830 to the start of the Civil War, higher educational opportunities expanded in the United States as more colleges and universities began to open, including Black colleges and women’s colleges. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, women’s colleges were producing outstanding women paleontologists and providing employment opportunities for women in teaching.

Some women’s colleges like Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, and Wellesley were stand-alone institutions. Other women’s colleges were affiliated with existing colleges or universities. Examples are the “Harvard Annex” that became Radcliffe College and Newcomb College, the women’s college for Tulane University. Some women’s colleges began admitting Black women as early as the 1880s. The doors to others remained closed to Black women much longer. Bryn Mawr did not admit Black women until the 1920s and Newcomb not until the 1960s.

While early in the history of paleontology women worked behind the scenes, by the late 1800s women began to seek new paths. Some, like Mignon Talbot, chose the route of formal education and made careers in teaching. A few very privileged women, like Annie Alexander, who had abundant wealth and social freedom, could provide financial support for their own expeditions and projects.

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