Museum of Femininity

In this episode we discuss the fascinating story of Josephine Baker (1906-1975) an African American dancer, singer and actress who found tremendous fame and popularity in 1920s Paris, becoming an icon of the era.
We will be talking about her inspiration rise to fame and what her time in Paris can tell us about attitudes to people of colour and African culture at this time. We will also be discussing Josephine's bravery in WW2 and her fight against segregation in the states. She is also well known for adopting 12 children of different ethnic backgrounds, her 'Rainbow tribe' which we will cover in this episode as well. 

Images
Instagram - @themuseumoffemininity 
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negrophilia
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/french-honors-for-u-s-born-josephine-baker-prompts-criticism-over-racism
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/media/livacuk/csis-2/blackatlantic/archer-text.pdf.pdf
https://www.milandes.com/en/josephine-baker/

I Have Two Lovers by Josephine Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suPSPKpF8SY
Josephine Baker's Washington March Speech https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/speeches-african-american-history/1963-josephine-baker-speech-march-washington/

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 @themuseumoffemininty

Sources 
https://victorianweb.org/gender/ugoretz1.html
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/107899
https://www.mimimatthews.com/2016/09/20/death-at-the-needle-the-tragedy-of-victorian-seamstress-mary-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'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'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. 

Sources
Effie: the Passionate lives of Effie Gray, John Ruskin and John Everett Millais by Suzanne Fagence Cooper
Pre-Raphaelite Sisters by Jan Marsh
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw04406/Effie-Gray-Lady-Millais 

Images
Instagram  @themuseumoffemininty 

In today'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. 

Images
Instagram - @themuseumoffemininty

Sources
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-victorian-supernatural
https://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.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9ance
https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/photographs-from-a-seance-with-eva-carriere-1913

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's services.
 By doing this we can analyse gender issues in this notoriously hedonistic time period.

Sources
The Bawdyhouse by Emily Brand
https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/rehab-for-18th-century-prostitutes-magdalen-hospital/ 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Murray

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 catalgoue
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/a-profile-portrait-of-a-renaissance-woman-in-the-national-gallery-of-victoria/ 

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'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's. 

Sources
Harem (Suleiman the Magnificent Documentary) | Timeline 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc668SpyNe0 
https://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/harem

In this painting analysis we will look a the painting 'On the Way to Anacapri' 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's relationship as represented in 'On the Way to Anacapri' as well as discussing Gerda's career and versatility as an artist. 

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 

Sources
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/videos/the-governess
https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-figure-of-the-governess
https://www.19thcenturyart-facos.com/artwork/governess-0
https://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/

In today's painting analysis we will be looking at the 1913 painting 'Self Portrait with Nude' 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'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 - @themuseumoffemininity

Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jul/06/laura-knight-unashamed-illustrator
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/dame-laura-knight-1424
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw03686/Laura-Knight-with-model-Ella-Louise-Naper-Self-Portrait