100 Pioneering Women

by National Portrait Gallery London

100 Pioneering Women presents a selection of images of remarkable women , who have defied the expectations of their gender and made extraordinary contributions to British life over the past four centuries. An introduction from the Gallerys Senior Curator of Eighteenth Century Collections consider s the representation of women in the Collection and the efforts being made to redress historical imbalances through the acquisition of portraits of notable women from the last four centuries . Extended captions provide context about ea ch sitters life and work and remind us of the impact of women in spheres as diverse as politics, science and medicine, the arts, engineering and law. This book features some of the National Portrait Gallerys most famous sitters Elizabeth I, writer and womens rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft, scientist Dorothy Hodgkin and architect and businesswoman Zaha Hadid as well as paintings and photographs of lesser - known women whose influence is equally significant. A recently acquired portrait of anti - FGM campaigner an d psychotherapist Leyla Hussein, a bromide cabinet card of Helena Normanton, the first woman to prac tise as a barrister in England, and a self - portrait by Angelica Kauffmann, one of the founding member s of the Royal Academy , are also included in this highly illustrated publication .

176 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2018

About the author

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people.

When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world that was dedicated to portraits. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin's Place, off Trafalgar Square, and adjoining the National Gallery.

The National Portrait Gallery in London is unconnected to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. .

Reviews

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Portraits and short biographies of a number of women who pushed boundaries.

I found many of the pieces in this book very interesting.

Reading time around one hour.