Born October 17, 1835, The Hague, The Netherlands
Died August 1, 1969, near Ghat, Libya

Africa’s Nile River was the site of many expeditions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The world’s longest river, at more than four thousand miles, its waters had nourished ancient civilizations and its source had remained a mystery for centuries. Europeans visiting the vast unknown continent were drawn to the river and its far reaches. Alexine Tinné was one such explorer, eager to go farther and see more than those travelers who went before her.

She was born Alexandrina Petronella Francina Tinné on October 17, 1835, in the Netherlands. She was the only child of a wealthy Dutch businessman and his much younger second wife, who had family connections at the royal court. Once, when Tinné was ten years old, her uncle found her sprawled on the floor...