Virginie Mauvais (2 August 1797 – 27 June 1892), French teacher and benefactor, was born and died in Nancy, France.

She worked as a teacher and then an inspector of the Nancy municipal schools, and was a generous donor to the local hospital and other charities there.

By that time, she had a teaching diploma and returned to Nancy to open a school for "young ladies of good society."

[3] Unhappy with the teaching texts at her disposal, she began co-authoring school books for her students to learn reading, writing and spelling.

[3] Virginie Mauvais devoted her life to teaching and was called at the time the “doyenne (dean) of public instruction.