Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer
Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer (née Schlözer; 18 August 1770 – 12 July 1825) was a German scholar and the first woman to receive a doctor of philosophy degree in Germany. She was one of the so-called Universitätsmamsellen, a group of five academically active women during the 18th and 19th centuries, daughters of academics at Göttingen University, alongside Meta Forkel-Liebeskind, Therese Huber, Philippine Engelhard, and Caroline Schelling.
Life
Dorothea was born in
Women were usually not permitted to study at
Dorothea Schlözer differed from most learned women of the time, who were thought of as neurotic and unfashionable; Schlözer was considered much more presentable. She knew how to sew and knit and understood how to run a household well.[2]
In 1792, she married in Lübeck a wealthy established merchant, Senator Mattheus Rodde, by whom she had three children. Henceforth, she wrote under the name of Rodde-Schlözer, the first use of the double surname in German. Their home became a centre for social and intellectual life attracting visitors from all over Germany and France.[1]
Later in life she studied art in Paris and achieved a high standard. She was commissioned to paint a portrait of
In 1810, her husband's business was declared bankrupt and he went into premature senility. This blow was followed by the death of Villers and two of her children. Weak with disease herself she moved to Avignon, France, seeking a milder climate and hoping to save the life of her only surviving daughter. She died there of pneumonia in 1825, aged 55.[3]
Notes
References
- Dorothea von Rodde at the Dinner party Database of notable women, Brooklyn Museum. Accessed December 2008.
- Dorothea von Rodde at The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science, By Joy Dorothy Harvey. At Google books. Accessed December 2008
- Göttingen newspaper article published in 1787
- Koolman, Antje; Jutrcenka, Sünne (2 January 2007). "Dorothea Schlözer". History Workshop Göttingen. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2010. Translation from German
External links
- Dorothea Schlözer Programme: support for female postdocs and professors at the University of Göttingen to promote equal opportunities for women. Accessed January 2021.