Jeanne Dumée as Astronomer and Woman in Seventeenth-Century France

As the author of a manuscript defending the Copernican system in 1680, Jeanne Dumee is often cited among the few women who practiced astronomy in early-modern France. However, her reputation is largely founded on a myth that was in place even before her work was available to the public. After her manuscript resurfaced at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, it took a long time for people to recognize that it hardly was original at all, a misunderstanding that is still leading some historians astray. In this paper, attempts are made to understand more about Dumee’s life and work, especially through a careful reading of her work and of her sources. It is argued that a careful rendering of Dumee’s voice may provide clues for a better understanding of astronomy’s place in early-modern women’s sociability.