The institutionalization of reading at the court of Versailles is embodied by the librarians, the men readers or even the women readers of the royal family to whom this article is dedicated and on whom sources are lacking. It traces the context of the creation of the office of woman reader in 1749 and analyses the trajectories of the women appointed to this position until the Revolution, revealing their social belonging and the dynamics at work at the time of their designation. It appears that through the interplay of clienteles, the patronage or matrimonial strategies, the women readers seek to consolidate the position of their relatives within the commensality, giving rise to a progressive organization of women’s networks around the function. Benefiting from an enlightened education, they value their skills and talents in the artistic and cultural fields and intervene during sociability times dedicated to leisure. The women readers thus illustrate the affirmation of a feminine knowledge at court, which become a place of intellectual promotion for women.