Pascal Theatre Company announces a free talk: Mary Somerville: A Mathematician in Regency London by Brigitte Stenhouse on 12 November (6-7.30pm) at Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre.
Amongst the accomplished society ladies of early 19th-century London – with their painting, needlework, and foreign languages – was one whose knowledge of mathematics made her stand out from the crowd. Mary Somerville made her name as an expert in advanced mathematics and its applications to astronomy, being bestowed with honours from the Royal Society of London and the Royal Astronomical Society decades before women were admitted as members. This talk will explore how Somerville used her place in polite London society to build a career as a mathematician and scientific writer.
Dr Brigitte Stenhouse is a Lecturer in History of Mathematics at the Open University. Her PhD research analysed the mathematical works of Mary Somerville and Stenhouse has since researched the role of marriage in the building of mathematical careers. Her research has been awarded the ICHM Montucla Prize and the IUHPST/DHST Dissertation Prize.
This talk is offered in collaboration with Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre.
Further information here: 12 NOVEMBER: MARY SOMERVILLE: A MATHEMATICIAN IN REGENCY LONDON: BRIGITTE STENHOUSE – Pascal Theatre Company (pascal-theatre.com)
or email: events@pascal-theatre.com
This talk forms part of Pascal Theatre Company’s Lottery Heritage Funded project: WOMEN FOR WOMEN – Pascal Theatre Company (pascal-theatre.com)
image credit: Mary Somerville as a young woman, John Jackson (1778–1831), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
