Marie Le Masson Le Golft

These numerous attempts put her in touch with such late 18th century scientists as Bernard Germain de Lacépède, Nicolas de Condorcet or Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton.

She was a teacher, and in 1788 published Letters on Education, as well as writing further, unpublished works.

Two of her books are still cited: the Balance of Nature (1784), where she assigned grades to hundreds of animals, plants and minerals, and A General Sketch of Mankind (1787), a world map on which all peoples then known and their characteristics are represented by symbols.

Masson spent the last years of her life poor and almost forgotten in Rouen, where she was a professor of geography and drawing.

At her death, she bequeathed to the city of Rouen her personal library, which included the collection of drawings, engravings and copper plates that were to be used in the publication of Dicquemare's book.