International Women's Day - the battle for equality

To mark International Women’s Day, the genealogy website, Ancestry, has delved into its records to reveal more about some of those who brought about the landmark advances in equality that today we take for granted. Here are some of the findings:

1857 was the first year women were able to file for divorce.  

Caroline Norton was the first woman in Britain to ask her husband for a divorce. Her campaign led to the 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act allowing ordinary people to divorce. Prior to that it was largely only men allowed to do so. 

In 1869, women were able to take their first University exams.

Just nine women sat down to take these exams in 1869. Known as the London nine, Marion Belcher, Louise Hume von Glehn Creighton, Sarah Jane Moody, Elizabeth Orme, Kate Spiller, Mary Anna Baker-Watson, Isabella de Lancy West, Susannah Wood and Hendilah Lawrence were also the first female students to be admitted to a university in Britain – the University of London. These pioneers of education subsequently went on to become teachers, writers, lawyers and suffragettes.

Women could first be licensed as doctors in 1876.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first woman to qualify as a doctor in Britain. Her campaigning contributed to the 1876 Enabling Act that allowed the licensing of both male and female doctors.

Women aged over 30 were first able to vote in 1918.

This was then followed by the Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act in 1928 that extended the vote to all women over the age of 21. However, the first woman to vote  apparently did so in Victorian times. In 1867 Lilly Maxwell's name was accidently included amongst those of the men on the electoral roll in Manchester. Her vote was eventually repealed.

From 1919, women were permitted to be barristers, solicitors and jurors.

The first women to pass their Law Society examinations were Maud Crofts, Carrie Morrison, Mary Pickup and Mary Sykes in 1922. Maud Crofts, a prominent suffragette, was the first of the group to qualify as a solicitor. Her daughter and her granddaughter also followed her into the legal profession, qualifying as the first three-generational family of women solicitors.

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In 1943, Edith Kent became the first woman to receive equal pay.

Edith Kent took a job as an electric welder in Plymouth in 1941 during WWII. The first woman to be employed at the dockyard, she returned to work after having her first child and received a pay-rise that put her on a wage higher than that of  the average male manual worker.

It was not until 1984 that a Mother’s occupation was recorded on her baby’s birth certificate.

Even the certificates of Margaret Thatcher’s twins, Mark and Carol, in 1953, bear only their mother’s maiden name. (The late prime minister was a qualified barrister at the time.)

And finally, some good news for future generations interested in family history research:.

From 2018 mothers’ names have been included on British marriage certificates, thanks to the passing of the Registration of Marriage Bill by the House of Lords. 

For those looking to learn more about their female ancestors, millions of records are available to browse online on www.ancestry.co.uk.

 

A new look at the Sky Garden

London's highest public space, the Sky Garden, at the top of the Walkie Talkie (aka 20 Fenchurch St). is five years old - and it's flourishing! When it first opened, there were complaints that the space didn't have the lush growth and mature trees of computer visualisations used to sell the project. But the planting, with specimens from as far away as Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and the Mediterranean, has matured. Some of the tree ferns are now so tall they almost graze the glass roof (above).

Continuous TLC means dense greenery now carpets the terraces that run down either side of the 3-storey venue - a major contrast with how it was in 2015 (below).

There's been some readjusting of the planting - water percolating down the terraces made the lower areas too boggy for the plants initially chosen, but the Peace Lilies now growing there seem happy with damp roots.

The Sky Garden is on the 35th to 37th floors, so has spectacular 360° views across the capital. From the open viewing platform you can see Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral and the Shard.......

.....while new to the skyline are the angular Scalpel (52 Lime St), which overshadows the Gherkin...

....and One Blackfriars, a 52-storey residential tower whose curved shape, right by the Thames, has led to it being dubbed the Vase (or sometimes the Boomerang).

The Sky Garden has two restaurants along with two bars for coffee, snacks and other refreshments. Access to the venue remains free, though you must book in advance and need to go through airport-style security in the foyer.
https://skygarden.london/plan-your-visit

George IV: Art and Spectacle

Sir Thomas Lawrence, George IV 1821 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

When George IV died in 1830, he was not widely mourned, thanks to his over-indulgence, womanising and extravagant spending at a time when the country was suffering from economic hardship and political turmoil. The Times obituary said “there was never an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased King”. But there was another side to his character – that of a connoisseur with intellectual interests whose endless acquisitions made him one of the most important figures in the formation of the Royal Collection. This exhibition in the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace (below) brings together more than 300 of the treasures he collected.

George was living at a time when upheavals on the Continent following the French Revolution flooded the market with works of art. Although he never travelled beyond Europe, he spent freely and frequently, indulging his passions for 18^th-century French decorative arts, 17^th-century Dutch and Flemish painters and of course Asian porcelain and oriental decorations, many of which found their way to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. He transformed Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and was also among the patrons of British artists of the day such as Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Lawrence and Richard Cosway. The Duke of Wellington described him as “the most munificent patron of the fine arts” and “the most accomplished man of his age”.

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Shipbuilder and his Wife: Jan Rijcksen and his Wife, Griet Jans, 1633 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Among the many art works on display is his most expensive painting, Rembrandt’s The Shipbuilder and his Wife, which cost him 5,000 guineas. He also  managed to acquire a painting by Rubens of St George and the Dragon, which had belonged to Charles I but been sold off after his execution.

Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Landscape with St George and the Dragon, 1630-5 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The exhibition also showcases the most spectacular moment of George’s life – his coronation, which came at a cost of more than £240,000. He orchestrated the whole event, overseeing the design of his sumptuous coronation robes and staging a banquet that featured the Grand Service, a 4,000-piece collection of dining and buffet silver-gilt that is still used today at state banquets.

Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, The Diamond Diadem, 1820-1  Royal Collection Trust  (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Also on display is the glittering Diamond Diadem he commissioned for the occasion and wore in the procession to Westminster Abbey, atop a black velvet hat. It's remained a royal favourite, and appears in the image of Queen Elizabeth on postage stamps. She also wears it to the State Opening of Parliament.

Red and yellow feather cape ('ahu'ula), 1824 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Oposite the diadem is one of his most colourful coronation gifts – a red and yellow feather cape from the rulers of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). Sadly, they both died of measles not long after their arrival in England, but the cloak was still presented.

Jane Austen, Emma: a novel in three volumes, 1816 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

George was also a voracious reader. His tastes ranged from geography and military history to the works of Jane Austen – he had a set of her works in each of his homes. (Although not a great fan, she was persuaded to dedicate Emma to him.)

Robert Seymour, The Great Joss and his Playthings, c.1829 Royal Collection Trust (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Many satirical prints and caricatures circulated during his lifetime, mocking his excesses in food, fashion and sex and surprisingly, he collected a number of them. One, The Great Joss and his Playthings, pokes fun at his interest in oriental style. Perhaps the most touching among the numerous portraits he comissioned of his family and friends is a delicate pencil and watercolour sketch by Richard Cosway of Maria Fitzherbert, “the wife of my heart and soul” whom he secretly married in 1785.

Maria Fitzherbert by Richard Cossway c.1789. Royal Collection Trust/ (c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The wedding was illegal as his father had not given his consent. Later George was married to his cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick, but it was an acrimonious relationship and they soon separated, causing scandalous headlines. When he died in 1830 he was buried with a miniature portrait of Maria around his neck.

George IV: Art and Spectacle is at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until May 3 2020.

Details at www.rct.uk

Inspired by the east: how the Islamic world influenced western art

School of Veronese. Portrait of Sultan Bayezid I. c.1580. © Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

Western artists have long been intrigued by the Islamic world. This sweeping new exhibition at the British Museum covers more than five centuries of artistic interaction, beginning with portraits such as this depiction of a Sultan and continuing through the tradition known as Orientalism to the present day. The earliest European interest in the Middle East was religious, focusing on pilgrimages to places mentioned in the Bible. Jerusalem was the most important, and was shown in great detail on a pull-out map in a book dating from 1486 that recounts the visit of a German knight to Palestine and Egypt. Diplomats established embassies, and there was much interest on both sides. One, in the Austrian service, wrote in 1581: “The Turks were quite as much astonished by our manner of dress as we at theirs.” Their presence provided work for both European and local artists, keen to portray the exchanges.

Jean-Baptiste Vanmour, Dinner Given by the Grand Vizier ©Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

The exhibition has two fascinating paintings by Jean-Baptiste Vanmour, who arrived in Constantinople in 1699 and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1725 he recorded a procession and the subsequent dinner given by the Grand Vizier for a European delegation (above). (The ambassador, in a bright red coat, has his back to the viewer.) Other travellers stocked up on Ottoman artefacts, which were seen as exotic luxuries and much admired.

Glazed and gilded pottery, Iznik (Turkey), 1600–25.© Trustees of the British Museum

By the 1600s, Western craft workers were trying to imitate items such as this Iznik plate, but found it difficult to match the delicacy and vibrancy of colour of the originals. From the 19^th c onwards, as travel became easier, goods were more available – some imported, others copied. They were displayed in homes and artists’ studios, which often included tiled “oriental” interiors.

Among them was Leighton House in London, the home of the Victorian painter Lord Leighton, who commissioned these Islamic-style tiles from the British ceramicist, William de Morgan. But the real boom was in paintings.

Charles Theodore Frere, Great Pyramid of Giza, ©Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

Recurring images included famous sites such as the pyramids, glimpses of everyday life and religious devotions.

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, The Prayer. 1877. © Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

Some artists, such as John Frederick Lewis, donned “Middle Eastern” garb and included romantic self-images in their pictures. (His wife later left the colourful sash he wound around his head in this picture to the Victoria and Albert Museum, describing it as from Constantinople, and about 1000 years old. It was, however, both contemporary and Indian.)

John Frederick Lewis, Portrait of a Memlook Bey, 1863 ©Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of Orientalism is its imaginary scenes of the harem, often used as an excuse to portray nude women. These had to be invented – harems were private, domestic spaces, and outsiders were not admitted.

David Wilkie, A Circassian woman, 1840 ©British Museum

One British artist, David Wilkie, was allowed to sketch a young Circassian woman in the harem of an exiled Persian prince, but he recorded she was fully dressed, with no expression, and silent – no titillation there. So the exhibition – perhaps because many of its items are from the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, where it will go on show next year – is rather short of the latter. The fascination with a highly fantasised Orient also found its way into books such as the Arabian Nights, and operas, films and even pantomines like Aida and Aladdin. To balance this, the exhibition has a section showing how some artists from the Islamic world turned the Orientalist gaze back on itself, with photographs and even maps, reusing such imagery for their own ends.

Raeda Saadeh (b.1977), Who will make me real? 2003. Courtesy of the artist and RoseIssa Projects / © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

While interest in these arts and crafts has declined, the show concludes with four contemporary reactions to the imagery of Orientalism. Most striking is a self-portrait of artist Raeda Saadeh, reclining like an odalisque, but dressed in Palestinian newspapers, perhaps to draw attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All in all, an informative and visually arresting look at a cultural relationship that has endured for more than five hundred years.

Inspired by the east: how the Islamic world influenced western art. British Museum, London, to Jan 26, 2020. Entry £14 (concessions available). 
https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/east.aspx