May French Sheldon (1847–1936)
Mary “May French” Sheldon was an American explorer and writer whose 1891 travels in Africa drew public attention. Although she was primarily an explorer and ethnographic author, her African journeys placed her among women adventurers of the era who encountered big game and wild landscapes without a white male companion — a rarity at the time — and contributed to popular narratives about Africa in Europe and the U.S.
