Louise du Pierry


Louise du Pierry or Dupiery, née Elisabeth Louise Felicité Pourra de la Madeleine, was a French astronomer and professor.

Life

She was born in La Ferté-Bernard, in the French province of Maine, on 1 August 1746.
Louise du Pierry was a student, and also the mistress, of Jerome de Lalande in 1779. She studied both natural history and astronomy.
She was member of the Académie des Sciences de Béziers.
In 1789, she became the first female professor at the Sorbonne university in Paris as the leader of the Cours d’astronomie ouvert pour les dames et mis à leur portée for female students. It was the first class geared towards women.The course was a huge success, despite many student fearing at first the subject matter would be too difficult for women.
She published many works involving the collection of astronomical data. These works include:
Jerome De Lalande dedicated his work Astronomie des Dames, to her, where she is lauded for her talent, taste, and courage in the field of science.