Building on the work I carried out during my internship with the Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) on gender identity, this post addresses the role of gender in ancient bathing, focusing on the experience of unwell women and…
Category: Blog
The Women’s History Network blog
The Cancellation of Gentleman Jack: A Year On – Sarah Wingrove
On the morning of the 8th of July 2022, fans of the television series, Gentleman Jack (HBO/BBC, 2019-22) awoke to the news that their hopes of a third season were not going to be realised – or certainly not by…
The Unpaid Careers of Principals’ Wives at Leicester’s University College, 1921-51 – Elizabeth Blood
The Attenborough family, including Mary Attenborough and her three sons, Richard, David and John, lived at University College Leicester between 1932 and 1951 when Frederick Attenborough served as its second Principal. I recently curated an exhibition on their time at…
Miss Mary MacMahon and the Making of a Professional Network of Mobile Businesswomen in Early 20th Century Canada – Kirsten Widdes
Advertisements, such as this one, were placed in trade journals and emphasized the importance of properly trained, competent typists, highlighting both commercial training and the effectiveness of the United Typewriter Co.’s Employment Department. Born in Hamilton Ontario Canada on September…
Kay Midwinter: first female Clerk in the House of Commons – Mari Takayanagi
In this blog Mari Takayanagi and Elizabeth Hallam Smith preview the story of Kay Midwinter, one of the pioneering women staff in Parliament featured in their new book, Necessary Women: the Untold Story of Parliament’s Working Women. In the public…
Textile Designing for the Festival of Britain 1924-2020 – Esther Dobson
When you hear the term ‘Mid-century design’ it may conjure images of Le Corbusier’s Brutalist architecture, Marcel Breuer’s ‘Wassily’ chair, or George Nelson’s clocks, but why do we often hear less about the women of this period? In stark comparison…
CONFERENCE REPORT: Gender and Political Groups In Britain c.1650-1950 – University of Northampton – 19th May 2023 – Kathrina Perry and Kerry Love
A conference on Gender and Political Groups In Britain c. 1650 -1950 was organised by our Blog Editor, Kathrina Perry along with her PGR colleague, Kerry Love and was held at the University of Northampton on May 19th 2023. The…
Queen Victoria’s Treescapes – Sarah Shields
In 2019 BBC News reported that while on an official engagement in Cambridge, the then 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II had told onlookers that she was ‘still perfectly capable of planting a tree.[1] The planting of a tree is perhaps one…