Science in Defiance of the Tsar: The Women of the 1860s
Sofia Kovalevskaia became the first woman in Europe to obtain her doctorate in mathematics—but only after leaving Russia for Germany.
The “Vanishing Types” of Doris Ulmann
As her extensive body of work shows, Ulmann felt the loss of an imagined simpler time and tried to preserve it with her camera.
Could “Rosie the Riveter” Be Chinese American?
Despite having their citizenship withheld before the war, Chinese American women in the Bay Area made significant contributions to the wartime labor force.
Zelda Fitzgerald on F. Scott’s Writing
Zelda’s satirical review of F. Scott's second novel, The Beautiful and the Damned, revealed much more than her wit.
Lee: The Past Ever Haunts the Present
A new film shows how American photographer Lee Miller used the camera to bring the brutalities of World War II to the homefront.
Rosalind Franklin’s Methods of Discovery
Franklin’s strategy for analyzing images of DNA molecules forces us to reconsider our definition of “scientific discovery,” argues Michelle G. Gibbons.
Geishas for Enlightened Motherhood
In the Meiji period, geisha embraced the nation’s modernizing project, helping to improve education for women and promoting a western-style domestic ideal.
Battery X: A Secret Test of Women at War during WWII
Although their contributions have been largely forgotten, women played an active role in Washington DC’s air defense system during World War II.
Matilda Tone, Historian of Irish Republicanism
Through the work and writing of Matilda Tone, her late husband, Theobold Wolfe Tone, was constructed as the hero of Irish republicanism.