In this mini episode we talk about the tragic death of Mary Ann Walkley in 1863, caused in part by the appalling working conditions in the workshop of Madame Elise a highly respected Court dress maker. This will be a meditation on class and the difference between working women and the wealthy ladies who commissioned them to make their gowns. Illustration Instagram @themuseumoffeminintySources https://victorianweb.org/gender/ugoretz1.htmlhttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/107899https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/09/20/death-at-the-needle-the-tragedy-of-victorian-seamstress-mary-walkley/

Museum of Femininity

Madame Elise and the Tragic death of Mary Ann Walkley

For our 50th episode we will be revisiting the Pre-Raphaelite Sisters by exploring the fascinating life of Effie Gray (1828-1897) a famed beauty, with a charming and vivacious personality, she is an interesting character as her life can tell us so much about Victorian society and the way women were perceived.Here we will be focusing on Effie Gray&apos;s unhappy and loveless marriage to the Art critic and Pre-Raphaelite champion John Ruskin and their scandelous annulment, which allowed her to marry the dashing Pre-Raphaelite painter and founder John Everett Millais, who she had fallen in love with. This is a story about the role of a wife, repressed sexuality, a woman&apos;s right to love, pleasure and freedom and the power and control of a rigid social structure where every class and gender has to adhere to certain rules and expectations. SourcesEffie: the Passionate lives of Effie Gray, John Ruskin and John Everett Millais by Suzanne Fagence CooperPre-Raphaelite Sisters by Jan Marshhttps://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw04406/Effie-Gray-Lady-Millais ImagesInstagram  @themuseumoffemininty 

Pre Raphaelite Sisters: Effie Gray

In today&apos;s episode we explore the 19th century fascination with spiritualism and the occult and particularly the key role women played in this as consumers and mediums. We will discuss the different activities which fell under this spiritualist umbrella from mesmerism to seances and specific examples of women who  were followers of or worked as spiritualists, both the sincere and fraudulent . This conversation touches on why women were perceived to be more effective communicators with the dead in relation to  particular Victorian notions about femininity, as well as whether they were victims of these practises or used them as an opportunity to gain independence. ImagesInstagram - @themuseumoffeminintySourceshttps://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-victorian-supernaturalhttps://fgcu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fgcu%3A30530/datastream/OBJ/view/Fragile_Spectres__How_Women_of_Victorian_Britain_used_the_Occult_and_Spiritualist_Movement_to_Create_Autonomy.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9ancehttps://publicdomainreview.org/collection/photographs-from-a-seance-with-eva-carriere-1913

Victorian Women and the Occult

In this mini episode we will look at the Georgian Bawdyhouse, what happened inside a Bawdyhouse, how they were run and who worked there, as well as the men who used it&apos;s services. By doing this we can analyse gender issues in this notoriously hedonistic time period.SourcesThe Bawdyhouse by Emily Brandhttps://georgianera.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/rehab-for-18th-century-prostitutes-magdalen-hospital/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Murray

The Georgian Bawdyhouse

This is not the catchiest title but the subject itself is extremely interesting and is an excellent example of how visual culture can shine a light on the way women were perceived in society. Profile portraits were a common genre in the mid 15th century to 16th century and were commissioned by wealthy merchant families. The sitters today are largely anonymous but were likely young brides from high status families, who posed dressed in luxurious clothing and jewellery, serving as visual symbols of feminine purity and nobility. Image in Florentine culture was very important and the representation of a wife was a matter of family honour. In this episode we will analyse some examples of these portraits and will also discuss their popularity among art collectors in the 1800s and what this can tell us about the romanticisation of  history.Sources Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo’s Ginevra de’ Benci and Renaissance Portraits of Women exhibition catalgouehttps://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/a-profile-portrait-of-a-renaissance-woman-in-the-national-gallery-of-victoria/ 

Florentine Profile Portraits of Women

In this episode we will be exploring the world of the Ottoman Harem during the 16th century. We will delve into the lives of concubines who lived within it&apos;s confines, the hierarchy within the harem as well as the benefits of life there, in addition to the disadvantages. Furthermore, there are many misconceptions about the harem, relating to Orientalist ideals and a romanticisation of the exotic. This will be achieved through a discussion around the lives of two favourite concubines Hurrem Sultan (1502 - 1558) and Nurbanu Sultan (1525-1574) both of which rose above the ranks to achieve real power and earn the love and respect of their Sultan&apos;s. SourcesHarem (Suleiman the Magnificent Documentary) | Timeline https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc668SpyNe0 https://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/harem

The Ottoman Imperial Harem

In this painting analysis we will look a the painting &apos;On the Way to Anacapri&apos; by Gerda Wegener (1885-1940) a Danish artist who worked as a successful fashion illustrator. In addition to this she also created glass mosaics, erotic art and also painted. In the public consciousness she is perhaps mostly remembered for her marriage and relationship with Lili Elbe, who is one of the first recorded cases of someone undergoing gender reassignment surgery. Before her transition Lili has been posing secretly as a model for Gerda, which when revealed caused a huge scandal, leading the couple to flee to Paris, which was a more bohemian and liberal city that accepted their lifestyle. Sadly for legal reasons the marriage was dissolved but they remained close and Gerda was deeply affected by her passing away. In this episode we will explore Lili and Gerda&apos;s relationship as represented in &apos;On the Way to Anacapri&apos; as well as discussing Gerda&apos;s career and versatility as an artist. 

On the Way to Anacapri by Gerda Wegener

In this episode we explore the role of the governess in 19th Century England.  Governesses were well educated young women employed by wealthy families to teach their daughters. Existing in a strange limbo, they were not considered a part of the family but were also too high status to fit in with other servants.  Due to this governesses were often lonely figures who operated outside of feminine conventions, as they were unmarried and financially independent. In this episode we delve into the day to day work of a governess and what type of women tended to fill this role.In addition, we explore the lives of some famous governesses, stereotypes and examples of governesses in art and literature, which have helped build them up as a fictional archetype. Trigger warning - there is some discussion of sexual assault Sourceshttps://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/videos/the-governesshttps://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-figure-of-the-governesshttps://www.19thcenturyart-facos.com/artwork/governess-0https://www.mimimatthews.com/2015/06/15/the-literary-governess-depictions-in-austen-bronte-thackeray-and-heyer/https://www.mimimatthews.com/2018/02/12/the-vulnerable-victorian-governess/

The Governess

In today&apos;s painting analysis we will be looking at the 1913 painting &apos;Self Portrait with Nude&apos; by Laura Knight.  At the time of painting women were not allowed to paint from live models or it was generally considered vulgar, due to this her work was widely criticised for it&apos;s defiance in challenging the status quo.In this episode we will explore the context of the Edwardian era and a bit about the role of the self portrait in art history.Images Instagram - @themuseumoffemininitySourceshttps://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jul/06/laura-knight-unashamed-illustratorhttps://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/dame-laura-knight-1424https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw03686/Laura-Knight-with-model-Ella-Louise-Naper-Self-Portrait

Self Portrait with Nude by Laura Knight

In this new episode of the Museum of Femininity we will explore the life of another female art collector, who was also an eminent political leader in Renaissance Italy.Isabella d&apos;Este (1474-1539) was the Marchioness of Mantua, who collected a variety of Ancient sculptures, medals and artefacts which she displayed in her Studiolo. Along with collecting classical works of art she also commissioned various paintings by the most notable Old Masters of the age including Leonardo da Vinci, Perugino, Mantegna and Titian. She was a forceful character who kept meticulous records and sent hundreds of letters with detailed instructions about how her studio was to be constructed, displaying a firmness but also the ability to persuade with flattery and charm.As well as her formidable connoisseurship she showed immense political prowess and often stepped into the role of leader during times of war.Sources https://isabelladeste.web.unc.edu/profile-of-isabella-deste/http://www.italianrenaissanceresources.com/units/unit-8/essays/isabella-deste-collects/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdkbLv8vgYQ

Isabella d'Este

In this painting analysis we examine the painting Woman in a Red Armchair painted by Pablo Picasso in 1932.We explore the expressiveness sensuality of this era in Picasso&apos;s work and interrogate the important role women played in fuelling his artistic inspiration. It is also important that we cover his relationship with the model Marie Therese Walter and it&apos;s troubling developments, which highlight Picasso&apos;s misogynistic and brutish tendencies. In this episode we tackle the difficult question of whether or not an artists personal downfalls should effect our feelings about their work, in the case of Picasso.Instagram @themuseumoffemininitySources Essential Picasso by Laura PayneThe Success and Failure of Picasso by John Bergerhttps://www.artspace.com/magazine/interviews_features/art-politics/the_picasso_problem_why_we_shouldnt_separate_the_art_from_the_artists_misogyny-55120

Woman in a Red Armchair by Pablo Picasso

In this episode we explore the life of Gertrude Stein (1874 - 1946) who was a queer writer and art collector as well as the leader of one of the most influential Parisian art salons of the early 1900. In her home she entertained the likes of Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemmingway and Ezra Pound, becoming a key voice in the radical art world of that time. As a writer she was experimental and often wrote illuminating and personal stories about her life, love between women and insight into the lives of the artists she knew. We will cover not only Gertrude&apos;s work and impact but also her relationship with her life partner Alice B Toklas. Images Instagram @themuseumofemininty SourcesIn Momartre  by Sue Roehttps://www.biography.com/writer/gertrude-steinhttps://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/stein-gertrudeWikipedia 

Gertrude Stein

In this painting analysis mini episode we will be looking at the 1620 painting Judith Slaying Holofernes by Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi. In the brutally realistic masterpiece we see the biblical heroine savagely behead the Assyrian general Holofernes in a frozen moment of violent chaos. This is perhaps one of the most visceral depictions of this subject, which has caused speculation that Artemisia Identified with the protagonist, as she herself had suffered sexual exploitation at the hands of a trusted family friend. In this episode we will be exploring this interpretation as well as Artemisia&apos;s style and background in addition to comparisons with other depictions of the same subject, to try and pinpoint why this one is so powerful.Visual ReferencesInstagram: @themuseumoffemininity Sources https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/judith-beheading-holoferneshttps://medium.com/thinksheet/how-to-read-paintings-judith-slaying-holofernes-by-artemisia-gentileschi-cade2f0c035ehttps://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/artemisiaWomen Artists by Flavia Frigeri 

Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi

A rambling conversation that covers the interesting history of trousers in women&apos;s wear, with a large focus on trouser&apos;s being symbolic of women&apos;s liberation through their utilitarian function. We talk about the early origins of the rational dress reform, the impact of war of women&apos;s fashion, the trends in Hollywood and how actresses bent the gender rules and also discuss gendered clothing in contemporary society. Images Instagram: @themuseumoffemininty Sourceshttps://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/suffragettes-in-trousers/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trousers_as_women%27s_clothinghttps://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-rational-dress-societys-gazette https://www.britannica.com/topic/trousersAttitudes Towards Women&apos;s Trousers: Britain in the 1930s, Katina Bill, Journal of Design History, Vol. 6, No. 1 (1993), pp. 45-54 (10 pages) https://www.jstor.org/stable/1315935?seq=1 The Fashion Chronicles: The Style Stories of History’s Best Dressed by Amber Butchart

Trousers in women's wear

In this romance themed art analysis mini episode we will be discussing three pictures which feature a lady reading or concealing a love letter.The Love Letter by Jean Honoré Fragonard 1773The Love Letter by Johannes Vermeer 1670Woman reading a letter, Kitagawa Utamaro, 18th century These three images are reflective of three very different cultures and time periods, but all highlight the intensity and mystery of the love letter. In this episode we will analyse the history of the paintings as well as their symbolism. Visual ReferencesInstagram @themuseumoffemininity Sourceshttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436322https://lifetakeslemons.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/the-love-letter-jean-honore-fragonard/the Definitive Art Bookhttp://www.essentialvermeer.com/cat_about/love.html Utamaro Revealed A Guide to Subject, Themes and Motifs by Gina Colia-Suzuki 

The Love Letter

Welcome to the Museum of Femininity!Join Briana Oliver and Charlotte Appleyard as they curate and converse about various topics on femininity, womanhood, and the female experience throughout history. Each episode features a new 'exhibition' through which objects, paintings, sculpture, prints, literature and material culture will be described and discussed. Provoking thoughtful conversation and hopefully breaking down the barriers both of the physical museums space and within the history of femininity.

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Museum of Femininity

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