Museum of Femininity

In this episode we will be exploring the remarkable life of Harriet Mellon (1777-1837) born into poverty Harriet rose to become a successful actress in her own right before marrying the banker Thomas Coutts and inheriting his fortune, making her one of the richest women in England. Following the death of her first husband Harriet married again and became a Duchess! I hope you enjoy this amazing rags to riches story that touches upon the difficulties of navigating society as a women and the tenacity of one woman who rise to the top of the social hierarchy.SourcesThe Time Traveller's Guide to Regency BritainBook by Ian MortimerMemoir of Harriet Mellon volume 1 and 2https://books.google.bj/books?id=8_8_AAAAYAAJhttps://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Memoirs_of_Harriot_Duchess_of_St_Albans.html?hl=zh-CN&id=iIF0EQAAQBAJ&redir_esc=yhttps://brightonwomenshistory.org.uk/harriot-mellon-1777-1837/https://courtstudies.hypotheses.org/1519https://www.koopman.art/blog-detail/32758https://www.entwistlefamily.org.uk/wp/resources/twissle-times-articles/harriet-the-entwisle-duchess/

Episode 12: Maria von Trapp (reposted)In this episode we delve into the real life of Maria Von Trapp (1905-1987) and the Trapp family singers. Here we see the story of a determined and bright young woman born into difficult circumstances, go from aspiring nun, to beloved governess, wife, member of a successful touring and recording band and then fictionalised character immortalised on the silver screen.  As well as this we will compare the true story with the Broadway and Film musical 'the Sound of Music'.

Welcome back to the Museum of Femininity. In this episode I explore the role women played in Edo period Japan. A fascinating time of economic growth and cultural flourishing, with a rich visual culture, that I have always admired. As the period stretches over 200 years, this is very much a brief overview of some key topics like marriage and education. I also explore women artists, the Geisha, the role of women in the service industry and farming in addition to the lives of courtesans in the Yoshiwara pleasure district.  As well as this we spend some time analysing the work of Kitagawa Utamaro, to try and tease out some specific examples of how women might have been perceived and the expectations they met in terms of how they behaved and conducted themselves. It was a wonderful subject to explore and there is so much more to learn.For images mentioned in the episode please visit our Instagram page @the museumoffemininity SourcesUtamaro Revealed: a guide to subjects, themes and motifs by Gina Collia-SuzukiHiroshige by Adele SchlombsGreat Women Artists, Phaidon https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/japanese-weddings-in-the-edo-period-1615-1868https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/gender-expectations-of-edo-period-japanhttps://dash.harvard.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/f71fdf5d-ec93-40d8-9e0c-5c42dfd54414/contentA great book about Geisha: Geisha by Liza Dalby 

Reposted episodeIn this episode we explore the history of the Matchstick Girls' strike in 1888, which saw 1400 women walk out of the Bryant & May factory, in protest against their treatment. This included poor pay, a highly unreasonable fining system which penalised women for taking breaks, and the lack of support around preventing and supporting women who were inflicted with the deadly disease 'Phossy jaw' which was caused by inhaling toxic particles in the factory. We hope to shine a light on the impact of socialite and campaigners article on Bryant and May, as well as exploring the role the workers played themselves, which in past years has been overshadowed#Victorianhistory #victotianengland #eastend #womeninhistory

In this episode of the Museum of Femininity we explore the life of Agrippina the younger. A well connected woman she was the Great Granddaughter of Augustus, the sister of Caligula, the wife of Claudius and the mother of Nero. Throughout her life she used her strategic intelligence, determination and influence to not only elevate her son to the position of Emperor but to also place herself in a position of genuine power and respect. In this episode we examine how she reached this point, her problematic depiction in history and her ultimate demise at the hands of her own son. This is a bloody and ruthless period in history and there are many references to murder, incest and suicide. Instagram @themuseumoffemininitySourcesNero the man behind the myth by Thorsten Opper and Francesca Bologna https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/nero-murder-agrippina/?srsltid=AfmBOor5op-6s-h--Yce4SuormZu3laHqOLLwTgmUrwzpIpwf7Vdde7Shttps://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/agrippina-younger-empress-ancient-rome-empress-nero-caligula/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4DwgbSMcR5WZcxYjC2p1c9Z/nero-to-zero-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-brutal-roman-emperorhttps://lithub.com/power-motherhood-and-murder-on-the-life-and-death-of-agrippina-the-younger/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julia-AgrippinaPodcasts I enjoyed which cover this time period in more detail and discuss the life of Agrippina the Younger The Rest is History Roman Empire seriesIn Our Time Your Dead to Me 

Reposted Episode: Effie Gray In this episode we will be 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 expectationsSourcesEffie by Suzanne Fagence CooperThis episode was originally released some years ago but was recently deleted. I am gradually reposting episodes but unfortunately have lost most of my sources. 

In this episode we will explore the founding and heyday of the Vienna Secession (1897-1917) art movement. The interesting stifling conditions in which this radical bold new group formed, in addition to the role within played within it. We will explore some female artists and sculptors who rose to prominence at this time and exhibited with the Vienna secession, as well we key muses who inspired founder Gustav Klimt. Instagram @themuseumoffemininity Sourceshttps://www.theartstory.org/movement/vienna-secession/https://www.frieze.com/article/radical-women-artists-turn-century-viennahttps://www.klimt-database.com/en/network-vienna-1900/colleagues/teresa-feodorowna-ries/https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/construction-ringstrassehttps://www.theviennasecession.com/vienna-secession/https://www.belvedere.at/en/broncia-koller-pinellhttps://www.dailyartmagazine.com/elena-luksch-makowsky/

Marriage in the Middle AgesWelcome back to the Museum of Femininity, in today's episode we start a new series analysing the history of marriage, but more specifically the process of getting engaged, weddings and how people celebrated this happy occasion throughout history.Here we will be looking at the Middle Ages in Britain, the differences between a peasant wedding and an upper class wedding, why people married, what a wedding involved and how traditions of the past were similar and different to those today. We will also devote sometime to contextualising the time period and having a general discussion about the role of women in Medieval society.Spotify link to episode https://open.spotify.com/show/6K0HqpO1z56qXAK92HoJbk?si=qcelX2uLSI60QkTfQKE8zwApple link to episodehttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/museum-of-femininity/idThis episode has been reposted following the deletion of many of my past episodes. Unfortunately, due to the age of the episode I no longer have a record of sources. I hope to revisit this description at some point to add a source list. 196w

In this episode we look back at the life of Ellen Terry (1847-1928) who was a famous and much loved stage actress, known for starring in Shakespearean Plays and popular modern comediesHer career spanned many decades and is perhaps best remembered for her professional relationship with Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre. In addition to her opulent Jubilee celebration in 1906, which was 6 hours in length! In addition to celebrating Terry's career we also delve into her interesting personal life, which can shine a light on the way women in this professional were viewed and how Ellen was consistently set a part from other women. She was married 3 times, had children out of wedlock and had many unusual romantic affairs. Here we cover her first marriage to artist George Frederic Watts who was 30 years her senior, while she was merely 16 and her last marriage at 60 to a man 30 years her junior. Indeed Terry lived a very unconventional life but was extremely hardworking and hugely talented as well as a warm and passionate person and excellent friend. This is something we can see through her paper courtship with playwright George Bernard Shaw. All in all Terry's life is peppered with fascinating relationships, career highs, personal breaks, moments of quiet living and then many periods of adventure and travel. Today she is immortalised through Blue Plaques and startlingly memorable portraits which you can still visit today. To view photos and paintings mentioned in this episode please visit our Instagram page @themuseumoffemininitySources https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06269/Ellen-Terry-Choosinghttps://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sargent-ellen-terry-as-lady-macbeth-n02053https://www.harpenden-history.org.uk/harpenden-history/people-2/writers-entertainers/ellen_terry_1847-1928https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2008/dame-ellen-terry-1847-1928https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/set/126/Ellen+Terry+Jubilee+Souvenir+by+Window+%26+Grovehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Terryhttps://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/ellen-terry/

In Part 2 of Lee Miller's story we explore this remarkable woman's life as a war correspondent, wife, mother and gourmet chief.She was a truly inspiring and fascinating individual full of creativity, passion and complexity. I hope you enjoy this episode!For images please visit @themuseumoffeminity on InstagramPlease also find our sources for this episode belowThe Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony PenroseLee Miller Archives https://www.leemiller.co.uk/artists/lee-miller/https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/lee-millers-second-world-war

In this episode we explore the fascinating lives of three important female artists who were key members of the Impressionist movement in the late 19th century. Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt and Marie Bracquemond I was deeply moved by the stories of these women, their creativity and resilience and their incredible legacies. I hope you enjoy exploring their lives with me. This is a re-upload due to past episodes being lost as a result of this it may take me some time to restore the list of sources I used in this episode. I will be more careful in future to keep a record of this outside the episode description! 

In this episode we delve into the early years of Lee Miller (1907-1977), fashion model and photographer who captured everything from the latest fashion for Vogue magazine up to the harrowing realities of World War 2. Here we will explore her beginnings in fashion as well as her exploration of photography and association with the Surrealist art movement and in particular her mentor and collaborator Man Ray.Images Instagram @themuseumoffemininity SourcesThe story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel The Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony PenroseLee Miller archive https://www.leemiller.co.uk/artists/lee-miller/ 

In this episode we explore the dangerous lives of 3 incredible women who performed in the circus in the early 20th century. They are; trapeze artist Lilian Leizel, Wild cat performer Mabel Stark and world renowned equestrian May Wirth. Each of these women dominated their art form and garnered fame and respect in a period in history where there were few freedoms for women. ImagesInstagram @themuseumoffemininty Sources https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/07/100-years-ago-the-women-who-ran-off-with-the-circus/https://www.circusesandsideshows.com/performers/lillianleitzel.htmlhttp://www.circopedia.org/May_Wirthhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/obituaries/mabel-stark-overlooked.html