Why is this Parisian path named after a woman few have heard of? This is Allée Jeanne Villepreux-Power. It honors a pioneering French naturalist. Let’s uncover the remarkable story of Jeanne Villepreux-Power.
Jeanne Villepreux was born in France in 1794. She became known as Jeannette Power. She died in 1871 at the age of 76.
At 18, she moved to Paris and worked as a dressmaker’s assistant. In 1816, she crafted a wedding gown. It was for Princess Caroline. Caroline was the daughter of Francis I of the Two Sicilies. This dress brought Jeanne fame. She caught the eye of James Power. He was a successful English merchant. They married in 1818 in Messina, Sicily.
Jeanne then dedicated herself to natural history. She studied Sicily’s flora and fauna. Her most significant work involved the paper nautilus, Argonauta argo.
Between 1832 and 1843, she closely studied this creature. To aid her observations, she invented something revolutionary. She invented the first recognizable glass aquarium. Before this, naturalists used seawater vases. Jeanne systematized aquarium use. She called them cages. The Academy of Catania called them Gabbioline alla Power.
Her aquarium helped solve a scientific puzzle. Did the Argonauta argo create its shell? Or did it simply inhabit one like a hermit crab? Jeanne proved the nautilus secreted its own shell.
She also determined the species’ reproduction method. The species showed great sexual dimorphism. She published her findings.
Jeanne created three aquarium types. One was glass for studying marine life indoors. Another was in a cage. It could be submerged to let organisms stay in their habitat. The last was a large wooden tank with anchors. It could be fixed to the seabed. Its top part remained above water.
British anatomist Richard Owen called her the mother of aquariophily.
Sadly, Jeanne lost collections and manuscripts in 1838. A ship sank off the coast of Brittany. It carried her items from Messina to London. In 1842, the Powers moved to Paris.
This Allée Jeanne Villepreux-Power serves as a reminder. It reminds us of a brilliant woman. She changed how we study marine life. It is fitting that this allée faces the aquarium of the Porte Dorée.
In 2019, Paris honored her. The city named this path after her. Next time you visit an aquarium, remember Jeanne Villepreux-Power. She is the visionary who made it all possible.