A hand colored portrait of Nellie Bly, circa 1890

Nellie Bly Experiences It All

One of the first female investigative reporters, Nellie Bly shone a light on the plight of American women by facing the world head on.
Striking women machinists from the Ford plant at Dagenham are interviewed upon their arrival at Rainham for a meeting with the National Union of Vehicle Builders, 18th June 1968.

Ford’s Striking Dagenham Women

The women sewing machinists of the Dagenham plant received a raise after they went on strike against Ford. But was this a victory?
Lucretia Newman Coleman

Finding Lucretia Howe Newman Coleman

Once a powerful voice in the Black press, Coleman all but disappeared from the literary landscape of the American Midwest after her death in 1948.
From Orbis habitabilis oppida et vestitus, centenario numero complexa, summo studio collecta, atque in lucem edita à Carolo Allard, c. 1700

The Power of the Veil for Spanish Women

In sixteenth-century Spain, veiling allowed women to move freely through cities while keeping their identities private.
Maud Lewis

Remembering Maud Lewis

A symbol of resilience and resourcefulness, Lewis remains one of Canada’s best-loved and most-celebrated folk artists.
Jizō, c. 1202

A Bodhisattva for Japanese Women

Originally known in China as Dizāng, the “savior of the damned,” Jizō has evolved into a protector of children and comforter of women in Japan.
Beryl Markham

Beryl Markham, Warrior of the Skies

The first person to fly solo, non-stop from Europe to North America, Markham lived life by her own rules.
Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, 1992

She’s All About That Bass

It’s not your imagination: a disproportionate number of women really do play bass guitar in rock bands.
A cartoon illustration of Brigid in Puck, 1883

From Saint to Stereotype: A Story of Brigid

Caricatures of Irish immigrants—especially Irish women—have softened, but persist in characters whose Irishness is expressed in subtle cues.
Eileen Gray, 1914

Eileen Gray: Architect In Her Own Right

Without formal training as an architect, Gray created magnificent designs that sensitively blended traditional craft with a modern aesthetic.