Bellonie Chantre

Born in Lyon in 1866, Bellonie Chantre was a French writer and traveler who is also described in reference sources as a photographer and botanist. She studied nursing, became involved with the scientific circles around Lyon, and took part in the wider world of anthropology and natural history.

She is especially known for writing about journeys she made with the archaeologist and anthropologist Ernest Chantre, whom she later married. Accounts of her travels were first published in serialized form and were accompanied by illustrations, helping bring distant regions to readers in an accessible, lively way.

Chantre continued to write about expeditions in places including Armenia, Anatolia, and Tunisia. She died in Lyon in 1952, leaving behind a body of travel writing that reflects both scientific curiosity and a strong eye for observation.