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Josephine Diebitsch Peary (1863-1955).

Article Excerpt
The genre of Arctic literature is heavily populated with male adventure-hero protagonists, but the role of women in 19th-century Arctic exploration has usually been overlooked. One exception, of course, was Lady Jane Franklin, a woman whose force of persuasion moved hearts and fleets of ships as she strove to locate her missing husband (e.g., McGoogan, 2005). Then there were countless Inuit women among the region's inhabitants whose names the explorers often failed to record, although their expertise in tailoring and food preparation saved more than a few expeditions. The historical presence and contributions of these women were largely obscured by the prejudices of the day (e.g., Schultz-Lorentzen, 2008). One woman whose role has been largely overlooked is Josephine Diebitsch Peary, one of the first non-Inuit women to establish, somewhat reluctantly, a high profile as a female Arctic explorer.

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Josephine was born in 1863 on a farm in Maryland. Her father, Hermann Diebitsch, was a military officer in the Prussian army, who left his war-torn country with little more than a solid education and considerable linguistic skills. Ironically, he ended up in another Civil War, this time an American one. The destruction of their farm during the war, Hermann's dismal track record as a farmer, and the Smithsonian's interest in his intellect led Josephine's family to relocate to Washington, D.C. Hermann's employment at the Smithsonian (in the Exchange Department) meant that the Diebitsch family's social network included some of the intellectual leaders of the 19th century in the American capitol, such as Joseph Henry and Spencer Baird.

Forging a rather progressive career route for a woman of her day, Josephine attended Spencerian Business College, where she graduated as valedictorian in 1880. This business training, combined with her skills in the German and French languages, prepared Josephine to work at...

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