Really enjoying this debate and thanks so much to everyone who has pitched in. Getting names and modes of address right is a huge part of the battle – not once would I have dreamed of calling Gertrude Jekyll anything other than Miss Jekyll in interpretive text!

 

The issue regarding the descriptors used for suffragettes is particularly pertinent during the current rash of heritage activities and exhibitions commemorating their protests and looking forward to next year’s centenary of the Representation of the People Act.  Suffragettes/suffragists were belittled in every possible way during their protests. The National Portrait Gallery exhibition ‘The Beautiful and the Damned’ brought up how photography and portrait representation of suffragettes was used against them.  It hardly serves our purposes as historians and interpreters of the women’s social and political history to continue to disrespect them now with the language we use to present them.

 

Last September, whilst I was attending the Women’s History Network conference, a lovely museum put out a request for ideas regarding the name of their planned Suffragette Gallery – tweeted suggestions included ‘Protestors in Petticoats’, and the next alliterative step, ‘Protestors in pantaloons’... (both were rejected).  I threw the question out into the lecture hall and much debate ensued about how often suffragettes (and female protestors in general) have been belittled by both contemporaries and historians by allusion to their clothing, general appearance and additionally, their potential sexual orientation, in a way that male protestors seldom are.

 

I would actively encourage any of you thinking about putting together a paper on this to go for it.  And then to submit it to next year’s Women’s History Network conference so I can hear it please!

 

All the best

 

Jenni

 

 

From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of sophie cabot
Sent: 27 April 2017 12:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Female Representation in Museums

 

Thank you both.  It turned into a sort of mini-essay in the writing... 

I can't actually remember where I've seen it specifically and recently on Suffrage - but I'll keep an eye out and forward any examples I come across!

Sophie

........................................................... 

Sophie Cabot BA MPhil.

 

From: Kirsty Ryder <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 27 April 2017 10:44
To: sophie cabot
Subject: Re: Female Representation in Museums

 

Hi Sophie,

 

I am so pleased you have shared this with me, you highlight a theme which I have definitely considered and you echo my thoughts on the subject perfectly!

 

I am actually hoping to conduct a case study on how museums will be celebrating the upcoming centenary of the suffrage movement in 2018, and this is definitely an issue I would like to discuss within that. I don’t suppose you might have further information on where you have found specific suffragette representations like this?

 

I look forward to hearing back from you,

 

Best wishes,

 

Kirsty

 

 

On 27 Apr 2017, at 11:19, sophie cabot <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

 

Hi Kirsty 

 

Another interesting issue you could approach is the increasingly common habit of referring to historical figures using their given names - which I feel is done very much more often in reference to women than it is men. E.g boards about suffragettes reading 'Emily believed...' and not 'Miss Wilding Davison believed' as would have been said to her face or 'Emily Wilding Davison believed' as is neutral and accurate.

 

Its obviously meant to create an immediate human connection to the reader, but it's a false familiarity, and it's certainly trivialising and infantilising of women, or anyone in a less powerful group. It reflects the historical way that women, people of colour, poor people etc have been addressed without the markers of deference applied to addressing the holders of power - I've never seen a board about WW2 that said 'Winston believed...' and I'm sure if you did it there would be some degree of outcry.

 

By doing this curators significantly colour the readers perception of the social standing of the person they are reading about, which affects their wider interpretation - not to mention that in many cases it's period inappropriate and something we know would cause deep offence to the subject.  I was reminded of this issue by the recent showing on BBC 4 of a film about Maya Angelou, in which she was shown forcefully shutting down a young girl who called her 'Maya' in a Q&A, and explaining very clearly that it showed disrespect, even though she realised it was unintended. You might see if you can find that on I-Player.

 

 

(The most irritating one I've dealt with is Julian of Norwich, sometimes called Mother, or Lady, Julian. Modern resources often say 'Julian wrote...' and the worst of that is that it creates a factual misunderstanding in the mind of the reader: One thing we probably do know about the Anchoress of St Julian's of Norwich is that she gave up her personal name as part of her leaving of the world, so she was not named Julian!)

 

Sophie

 

........................................................... 

Sophie Cabot BA MPhil.

 

 



-----Original Message-----
From: List for discussion of issues in museum education in the UK. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kirsty Ryder
Sent: 25 April 2017 12:25
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Female Representation in Museums

Hi all,

I am a CHM student at the University of York currently working on my MA dissertation. My topic is focused on representation of women in museums and broader heritage, and I am particularly interested in issues such as lack of representation, or instances which could be seen as trivialising or inaccurate to the image of historical women. I am looking for any relevant resources or discussion of the topic, any help would be really appreciated!

Also any insights or commentary anyone might have on how museum practitioners apply feminist theory or otherwise consider issues of gender representation when curating exhibitions would also be interesting to hear!

Best wishes,

Kirsty
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