Museum of Femininity

In this episode we summarise a brief history of the fan. How it was once a fashionable commodity for the wealthy and transformed into a mass produced product. We look into the use of fans as a canvas for propaganda and will debunk the language of the fans.
By examining objects like this we can learn about female culture in the past, how they were viewed as consumers and changing fashion trends. 

Sources
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Fanology-The-Secret-Language-of-Hand-Fans
hhttps://www.thefanmuseum.org.uk/fan-historyttps://owlcation.com/humanities/Fanology-The-Secret-Language-of-Hand-Fans

Instagram @themuseumoffemininity 

In this episode we will discuss the interesting life Sarah Forbes Bonetta (1843 – 1880) a woman of colour with a truly fascinating life. She was born into a royal Yoruban Family, who were tragically killed, leading her into slavery in the house of King Ghezo. At aged 8 she was then given to Queen Victoria as a Diplomatic gift and went on to live a life of privilege and education but under the keen eye of the press and public who were fascinated by her intellect. Although Sarah's life is incredibly unusual it can shed fascinating light on how Victorians viewed race. 

Instagram @themuseumoffemininity

Sources

Black and British: a forgotten history by David Olusoga
https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/real-stories/the-african-princess-sarah-forbes-bonetta/
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp63230/sarah-forbes-bonetta-sarah-davies
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-54445289
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne/history-and-stories/sarah-forbes-bonetta/

In celebration of Black History Month I will be posting regular podcast episodes, which specifically focus on Black female artists and figures in history.
In todays episode I will be discussing the life and work of Lois Mailou Jones (1905 - 1998) who was a pioneering teacher at Howard University and award winning painter, textile designer and mixed media artist. Her work often evolved depending on her environment and as a result she has a wonderfully diverse body of work, which includes paintings inspired by African art and culture as well as artwork in the style of the French Impressionists. Despite working during a time of segregation and hostility towards people of colour she persevered and forged a successful career, which paved the way for many artists after her. 

Instagram @themuseumoffemininity 

Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lois-Mailou-Jones
https://awarewomenartists.com/en/artiste/lois-mailou-jones/
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/lo%C3%AFs-mailou-jones-5658
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6aLZ222hKs&t=317s 

In our new mistresses series we strive to tell the stories of famous women in history known for being the lovers of prominent men. The goal of this series is to perhaps shed light on lesser known details of these women, in order to bring them out of the shadows of the famous men in their lives.
In todays episode I will be discussing Emma Hamilton (1765 - 1815) best known for her affair with Horatio Nelson, she was born into poverty, worked as a maid at the age of 12 and due to her wit, charm and stunning beauty also became of the lover of two minor aristocrats. She went on to become the muse of George Romney, who obsessively painted her and to marry Sir William Hamilton who she lived with in a life of luxury in Naples, where she first clapped eyes on the war hero who would change her life. In addition, to enjoying an open affair with Nelson, she also cultivated an incredible reputation as a trend setting and excellent hostess. Emma also educated herself and was a great lover of art as well as an accomplished singer. In this episode I will discuss these aspects of her life and the treatment she suffered, which was a sad result of the closed minded era she lived in.

Images
@themuseumoffemininity Instagram

Sources
Beloved Emma: the Life of Lady Hamilton by Flora Fraser
https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2002/george-romney/emma-hamilton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma,_Lady_Hamilton

This mini episode of the Museum of Femininity will explore who Mary Magdalene was, why she is so important and how her identity has mostly been shaped by art. We will also look into how to identify Mary Magdalene and what aspects of her appearance and story have been melded with other women of the Bible and various assumptions about who she was and what she represents. 

Sources

Mary Magdalene: Art's Scarlet Woman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV6M0MxPGM0
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/giovanni-girolamo-savoldo-mary-magdalene
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-mary-magdalene-119565482/

Visual References

Instagram @themuseumsoffemininity

Welcome back to the Museum of Femininty!
In this episode Charlotte Appleyard will be discussing the fascinating origins and history of the Geisha, a beautiful accomplished woman, who has devoted her life to the arts and is recognisable through her sumptuously patterned kimono, painted face and lavishly adorned hair. Charlotte will also explore misconceptions about Geisha and how these views have been formed.

Sources

Geisha by Liza Dalby
Geisha of Gion by Iwasaki Mineko
toki.tokyo/blogt/2016/8/2/the-history-of-geisha-in-japanese-culture
vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/kimono-kyoto-to-catwalk

Visual references and to follow the Museum of Femininity
Instagram @themuseumoffemininity 

In this mini episode I examine a series of portraits depicting Queen Elizabeth I and analyse the symbols and imagery that reflect her status and power as a female ruler. It was fascinating to see how her image evolved with her reign, particularly as she aged and adopted the label of Virgin Queen.

Sources
The Queens Likeness: Portraits of Elizabeth I
https://www.npg.org.uk/research/programmes/making-art-in-tudor-britain/case-studies/the-queens-likeness-portraits-of-elizabeth-i

Young, female and powerful: Was Elizabeth I a feminist?
https://www.rmg.co.uk/explore/blog/young-female-and-powerful-was-elizabeth-i-feminist

Visual Sources
Instagram: @themuseumoffemininity 

Part 3 of our Male Impersonators series, where we explore the life of Gladys Bentley a wonderful singer and pianist who worked in Jazz clubs during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. She became known for her bawdy lyrics and dapper sense of style.
In addition, I will be indulging in a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine by chatting about the history of the all female Takarazuka Revue. Glitzy big productions, with gorgeous costumes, high drama and amazing singing and dancing! I hope you find the beautiful fantastical world of Takarazuka interesting as well as the fascinating hierarchy and structure within the company and the intensity of the top stars fan bases.

Resources
https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/troupe/index.html
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-japanese-theatre/interlude-takarazuka-allgirls-revue-and-musicals/3C549E349067367686FD924340BC1350
Lorie Brau. ""The Women’s Theatre of Takarazuka." TDR 34.4 :79-95.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Bentley
dragkinghistory.com

Instagram @themuseumoffemininity 

In this new regular series we will be exploring common visual motifs seen in art work relating to womanhood. By understanding this subtly coded iconography we can better grasp how women were perceived during these periods in history.

In today's episode we look at the Unicorn who could only be tamed by a virgin and commonly features in medieval and early renaissance artworks.

Sources

https://www.metmuseum.org/search-results#!/search?q=unicorn%20tapestry&orderByCountDesc=true&page=1
https://www.britannica.com/topic/unicorn
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-art-historys-8-greatest-unicorns-met-tapestries-damien-hirsts-taxidermy
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/unicorns-in-art-2229/
30,000 Years of Art (Revised and Updated Edition): The Story of Human Creativity Across Time & Space (F A GENERAL)

For visual references please look at our instagram
@themuseumoffemininity 

Part 2 of the Museum of Femininity's Male Impersonator Series

In this episode we examine the lives of two very different women.

Ella Wesner was a former ballerina who lit up the American Stage with her charismatic male impersonator act, she is also well known for a scandalous affair.

Vesta Tilley was raised in the Music Hall and started impersonating men at the age of just 6! She went on to be an icon of this profession and was instrumental in military recruitment campaigns during the First World War

For lots of interesting images follow us on Instagram @themuseumoffemininity 

Sources

Just One of the Boys: Female-to-Male Cross-Dressing on the American Variety ...

By Gillian M Rodger

dragkinghistory.com

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/nfca/researchandarticles/vestatilley 

Some audio recordings of Vesta singing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHM7iGR6hl0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf3LsGQPxSU