SHOUT OUT FOR WOMEN

Landscape painting of a woman lying down next to a red heart by Elvira Bach

SHOUT OUT FOR WOMEN

March is Women's History Month – an international month-long celebration of women's contributions to history, culture and society, with International Women's Day falling on 8 March.

Join us in sharing the Ashmolean's collections and stories which celebrate women’s achievements in art and archaeology throughout history and today.

Also discover the Shout out for Women Oxford Trail we produced in 2018 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which enabled all men and some women over 30 to vote for the first time.

This trail across the collections of the Oxford University's Gardens, Libraries and Museums highlights some of the incredible women represented in our remarkable collections and buildings, from artists and scientists to curators.

Note locations may change from time to time, so please ask our gallery staff if you can't find what you are looking for.

Download our Shout out for Women trail (PDF)

A still life painting of fruits and flowers

Still Life of Fruit and Flowers by Clara Peeters

Although little is known about her life, Clara Peeters is thought to have been one of the first professional women artists in early modern Europe. This elaborate still life, one of her largest paintings, shows a table richly laden with fruit, flowers, nuts and shrimp. Gallery 48: Still-life paintings. Included in the 'Shout Out for Women' Oxford trail.

Copy of a wall painting from the Queen Nefertari's tomb by Nina de Garis Davies

Copy of a wall painting from Queen Nefertari's tomb by Nina de Garis Davies

Nina de Garis Davies was an Egyptologist who, along with her husband Norman, would record paintings from Egyptian tombs. They would trace the artwork using a technique that enabled nearly exact brushstroke and colour reproduction. Not on display.

Talisman II by Barbara Hepworth

Barbara Hepworth was one of the few female artists of her generation to achieve international fame. Her work epitomised Modernism especially in the field of sculpture. Gallery 62: Modern Art. Included in the 'Shout Out for Women' Oxford trail.

Untitled, 1980. Gouache on paper by Elvira Bach

Elvira Bach is one of the 'Neue Wilde' artists in Berlin, whose work we've recently acquired as part of a Neo-Expressionist research project at the Museum. The main subject and motif in these expressive pieces is the woman. Not on display.

Time the Physician by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale

Referred to as the Last Pre-Raphaelite, Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale had a successful career in painting and design. She became a member of the Royal Academy in 1896 and went on to become a teacher at John Byam Liston Shaw's art school in 1911. Not on display.

Bust portrait of Prince Henry Lubomirski in the character of Bacchus by Anne Seymour Damer

Damer (1748-1828) was an English sculptor who executed portrait busts in the Neoclassical style of Nelson and Charles James Fox, and of her friends Lady Melbourne and Mary Berry 

A painting of a woman with red hair, in a purple dress, holding white flowers and resting on an open book

Cloister Lilies by Marie Spartali Stillman

Marie Spartali Stillman was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter, thought of as one of the most successful female artists of the movement. Her subjects were typical of the Pre-Raphaelite movement usually depicting women from Shakespeare, Petrarch, Dante and Boccaccio. Not on display. 

Curator Mary Tregear

The Seated Bodhisattva is one of the most popular objects in the Chinese galleries. Its acquisition was championed by the curator Mary Tregear, who predicted its popularity. Mary Tregear is renowned for her scholarly contributions to the history of Chinese ceramics and painting, and possessed a flair for recognising excellence and significance in works of art across the sphere of Chinese production. Gallery 38: Later China. Included in the 'Shout Out for Women' Oxford trail.

A 'Forest Floor' Still life of Flowers by Rachel Ruysch

Rachel Ruysch was considered the best female painter of the Dutch Golden Age, most commonly known for her still lifes of flowers. Ruysch was painting throughout her life. From the age of 15 to 83 she produced over 250 works. Gallery 48: Still-life paintings.

Ceremonial Flint Knife discovered by Annie Abernethie Quibell

Annie Abernethie Quibell was an experienced artist before becoming interested in archaeology. Having exhibited at the Scottish Royal Academy, she moved to London to study at UCL with the famous Egyptologist, Flinders Petrie. Gallery 21: Egypt and its Origins. Included in the 'Shout Out for Women' Oxford trail.

Watching Pines in the Nightfall by Fang Zhaoling

Fang Zhaoling was a Chinese painter and calligrapher born in Wuxi, Jiangsu. She studied under great artists like Zhang Daqian and attended both the University of Hong Kong and University of Oxford. Not on display.

Sofonisba Anguissola's self portrait at the easel painted in 1556

Sofonisba Anguissola's 'Self Portrait at the Easel', 1556

SOFINISBA ANGUISSOLA, 1532-1625

Join Dr Alice Foster at this online talk on International Women's Day to explore the work of this extraordinary Renaissance painter who achieved artistic success despite the limitations of her gender.

Sofonisba Anguissola (1532–1625) was born into an impoverished, noble Italian family, but she was encouraged in the arts by her father, who sent her drawings to Michelangelo for approval. She is well known for the paintings she made of herself and her family.

TUE 8 MARCH, 2-3PM. £4

THIS EVENT HAS TAKEN PLACE

Clap, woodcut, 1974 by Naoko Matsubara on display in In Praise of Hands

DISCOVER

Naoko Matsubara: In Praise of Hands exhibition

This FREE exhibition of woodcuts celebrates an artistic collaboration between distinguished print artist Naoko Matsubara and prize-winning poet Penny Boxall, who responds to the woodcuts in a series of short poems. The human hand is a theme that Naoko has explored since the birth of her son in 1973. Open until 2 May.

My favourite picture of all my works by Julia Margaret Cameron

READ & WATCH

Julia Margaret Cameron: My Favourite Picture of all My Works

Julia Margaret Cameron was an early pioneer of British portrait photography and well known for her soft-focused portrait photography, which was greatly admired by the Pre-Raphaelites. Lena Fritsch, the Ashmolean's Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, introduces us to Cameron's life, her work and famous subjects, including Virginia Woolf's relatives.

Landscape watercolour of two woman praying with a gold background

READ

Elisabeth Sonrel: Les Rameaux

During lockdown the Museum acquired a large watercolour by the French artist Élisabeth Sonrel (aka Élisa-Marie-Stéphanie-Adrienne Sonrel). In her successful career, Sonrel (1874–1953) became popular for her magnificent Art Nouveau posters and big watercolours, featuring idealised women. Les Rameaux is a stunning example of her work. Western Art Print Room.

Charcoal drawing of a young girl seated and facing us, with her hands on her lap

WATCH

Gwen John: Seated Girl

Ashmolean Curator of European Art Colin Harrison reflects on a small, informal, charcoal drawing of a young girl by Gwen John – one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, but also one of the least known – and discusses her life. Western Art Print Room.

WATCH

Female Samurai Warrior

In this 1-minute clip, discover Hagaku Gozen, one of Japan's most feared female Samurai warriors who led 3,000 soldiers against an army of 30,000 in the 1100s.

LISTEN

Lizzie Siddal: Not Just a Pretty Face

Lizzie Siddall was the 19th century’s proto-supermodel. Her beauty inspired the artists and poets of her generation, who presented her as a mysterious, fairy-tale creature. We tend to know her through the filter of the men who painted her, but in the Ashmolean Museum archives, you can encounter the real Lizzie. Behind the silent muse of Pre-Raphaelite art was a vibrant, creative woman, who was herself a talented poet and artist. Episode 4 of the Objects Out Loud podcast.

An ancient papyrus document showing the will of a woman named Naunakhte

LISTEN

Voices of Ancient Egyptian Women: Family Feud

In this podcast, meet Naunakhte, an Ancient Egyptian mother with a bone to pick. There are only a handful of surviving records of the voices of Ancient Egyptian women, and the Ashmolean has one of them. Naunakhte's last will and testament reveals a story of a family argument which still sounds familiar over three millennia later. Episode 4 of Museum Secrets, series 2 podcast.

A tall painting of a bouquet of peony flowers

LISTEN

Miao Jiahui: The Ghost Painter

Shelagh Vainker, our Curator of Chinese Art, introduces us to Miao Jiahui, the ‘ghost painter’ of the Chinese Empress Dowager. The Ashmolean holds a rare painting of some peonies, in which she came out of the shadows by signing her name as the artist. Episode 15 of the Museum Secrets series 1 podcast.