The Scientific Vision of Women

The history of science has slowly become more inclusive, but information about the contributions of women is still difficult to find. This exhibition invites you to explore the scientific vision of women through the products of their own hand. Illustration has always been a critical part of scientific inquiry—a way to impart understanding differently than words—and historically it was sometimes the only way for women to work in scientific fields. This exhibition presents the critical role of women in science across centuries, geographical regions, and disciplines, including anatomy, chemistry, physics, natural history, astronomy, geology, aeronautics, and statistics.  

Although only explored in two of the artist biographies (Maria Sybilla Merian and Maria Martin Bachman), many of these women were practicing in a time and place where enslaved labor was central to the economy. This reliance on enslaved people, whether directly or indirectly, made their work possible.

The majority of volumes shown here are from the Rubenstein Library, but materials were borrowed from other sources to be more inclusive. We asked specialists from across campus and across fields of study to explore these women with us. 

Why these women? We do not propose that these are the most important female scientists, but their stories shed light on the variety of ways women have influenced the history of science. The label writer’s viewpoint as well as the availability of information for each artist lead to some variety in the content and length of the labels. This should not be interpreted as a reflection of each artist’s importance. Instead, the curators wanted to raise awareness of these women and their works, and we hope you are also inspired by their illustrations and stories.­

Curated by Meg Brown, Brooke Guthrie, and Lauren Reno with contributions from Nicolette Cagle, Patrick Charbonneau, Alexander Glass, Laura Grunert, Colette Harley, Evan Hepler-Smith, Dana Hogan, Rachel Ingold, Dan Richter, Jacquie Samples, Rebecca Williams, and Angela Zoss.