Marie Armande Jeanne Gacon-Dufour (1753–1835)

Marie Armande Jeanne Gacon-Dufour was a French woman of letters who wrote essays and books on political economy; cooking; domestic subjects such as making soap, perfume, makeup, and toothpaste; fiction; and edited memoirs of French historical figures. She was a co-founder of the Bibliotheque Agronomique and campaigned strongly for better education for women. She wrote Memoire pour le sexe feminin contre le sexe masculin ("Defense of the Female Sex Against the Male") in 1787, and the essay, De la necessite de l’instruction pour les femmes ("On the Need for Education for Women") in 1805. Her novels included Le prejuge vaincu (1787), and Les Dangers de la prevention (1806).  Madame Gacon-Dufour published the memoirs Anecdotes Secrets Galantes, Historiques et Inedites in 1807, and edited the personal correspondence of the duchesse de Chateauroux, a mistress of King Louis XV. She also produced memoirs of the Valois and Bourbon courts.