Born: 20 January 1758, France
Died: 10 February 1836
Country most active: France
Also known as: Marie-Anne Pierrette Paulze, Madame de Rumford, Marie Thompson
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
On this day in 1758, Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier, a distinguished French chemist recognized for her invaluable contributions to science, was born. She is primarily known for her pivotal role as the laboratory companion and collaborator of her husband, Antoine Lavoisier, a prominent chemist of his time.
Marie-Anne displayed a keen interest in chemistry from a young age and actively participated in her husband’s laboratory work. She received formal training from esteemed chemists Jean Baptiste Michel Bucquet and Philippe Gingembre. Marie-Anne played a crucial role in translating scientific documents from English to French, facilitating the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Her meticulous drawings and illustrations of experimental apparatuses aided in comprehending Antoine Lavoisier’s methods and findings.
She translated and critiqued Richard Kirwan’s ‘Essay on Phlogiston and the Constitution of Acids,’ which contributed significantly to Antoine Lavoisier’s groundbreaking work on combustion and the discovery of oxygen gas. Her efforts were instrumental in publishing Antoine Lavoisier’s “Elementary Treatise on Chemistry” in 1789, revolutionizing the field by introducing concepts like the conservation of mass and a new chemical nomenclature system. Despite facing financial hardships and the loss of Antoine Lavoisier during the French Revolution, Marie-Anne supported his legacy by publishing his final memoirs and preserving his notebooks and laboratory equipment.
She died in 1836.