The Scientific Vision of Women

First published in 1806, Jane Haldimand Marcet’s Conversations on Chymistry was an international bestseller. While Marcet argued she had “no real claim to the title of chemist,” she was an astute observer of the rapidly transforming field of chemistry during her lifetime, and her popular books made new discoveries accessible to a general audience. At a time when few women received a scientific education, Marcet argued that women could and should engage with complex scientific ideas. Marcet developed an interest in chemistry after attending Humphry Davy’s public lectures at the Royal Institute in London and with her husband, chemist Alexander Marcet, replicated the experiments she observed in their home laboratory.

Conversations, structured as a dialogue between three women, offers an introduction to chemistry and presents women as active participants in the field. Unlike many scientific works for women, Conversations focuses on theoretical concepts rather than domestic applications and encourages hands-on experimentation through Marcet’s simple, elegant drawings. Marcet’s understated images provide a visual guide to the many experiments described in the text, encouraging readers to investigate the properties of oxygen or attempt the sublimation of sulfur and perhaps claim the “title of chemist” for themselves.

Label by Brooke Guthrie