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"Read December 1974 after a bout of flu. Amazing woman and an occasional touch of gone Austenism satire in her descriptions of grand occasions." inscribed by Jill Craigie
Image credit: The Women's Library, London Metropolitan University - see picture references at the end
See our collections on display in our free exhibitions "All work and low pay: the story of women and work" and "Cycling to Suffrage: The Bicycle and Women's Rights, 1890-1914" and related events
Key class numbers and search terms
Key references, latest academic works acquisitions
Periodicals
Press cuttings and ephemera
Zines and artist books
Electronic resources
Archives (personal, organisational papers and oral histories)
Museum Collection (objects, textiles and visual materials)
Identifing images
Web archive
TUC Collections
London Metropolitan research institutes and centres
Further resources in other archives, libraries and museums
Further information
The Women's Library, founded in 1926 as the Library of the London Society for Women's Service, exists to document and explore women's lives in Britain in the past, now and in the future. Printed material, ephemera, archives, oral histories and museum objects together form The Women's Library collections. The collections include a wide range of resources on women and the arts including books, pamphlets and periodicals from the 19th century to the present day. Women's contributions to fine and applied arts as well as to performance, film and music are documented in the collections. In addition many examples of women's creativity and artistic expression can be found within the Library's collections from artists books and zines to visual materials. The Library also holds relevant press cuttings and ephemera in the printed materials collections and scrapbooks of press cuttings, organisational and personal papers in the archives.
Key class numbers and search terms
The printed collections of The Women's Library are arranged in the Dewey Decimal Classification and listed on London Metropolitan University's printed materials catalogue, available in the Reading Room and via the website Key class numbers and search terms for women and the arts include:
Key reference sources
The Library holds the following guides and bibliographies, useful for identifying further information and material on the subject:
Bachmann, Donna G. and Piland, Sherry. Women artists: an historical, contemporary and feminist bibliography. Metuchen: London: Scarecrow Press, 1978. Reading Room 016.70922 BAC
Cohen, Aaron I. International encyclopedia of women composers. Vol.1, and Vol 2 A-SAI. New York ; London : Books and Music, 1987. Reading Room Quick Ref 780.922
Dunford, Penny. A biographical dictionary of women artists in Europe and America since 1850. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1990. Reading Room Quick Ref 709.22 DUN
Gaze, Delia (ed). Dictionary of women artists London. London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997. 2 vols Reading Room Quick Ref 709.22 DIC
Hixon, Donald L. Women in music: a bibibliography Metuchen: Scarecrow Press, 1975. Reading Room 016.78 HIX
Pollecutt, Natalie. Art for votes' sake bibliography London : The Women's Library 2003. Vault Oversize Pamphlet 016.3246230941 POL
Sadie, Julie Ann, Samuel, Rhian. The new Grove dictionary of women composers London : Macmillan, 1994. Women's Library Quick Ref 780.922
Sullivan, Kaye. Films for, by and about women Metuchen: London: Scarecrow Press, 1980 Reading Room 016.79143 SUL
Walker, John A. A glossary of art, architecture and design since 1945 3rd ed. London: Library Association, 1992. Reading Room Quick Ref 709.04 WAL
The Women's Library's most recently published related to art, artist books, ceramic, fine arts, painting, sculpture and newly available acquisitions
Periodicals
The Library holds a wide range of periodicals on women, including academic titles, popular magazines and campaigning newsletters. The zine and periodical collections illustrate the diverse range of women's representations in and through the arts, for example Feminist arts news, Heresies: a feminist publication on art and politics, n.paradoxa: international feminist art journal, Vogue and Women's art magazine Further periodical titles on the subject can be identified through the printed materials catalogue.
Further details and titles can be found identifield through the online catalogue and further guidance on identifying periodicals click here.
Press cuttings and ephemera
The press cutting collections cover the whole of the 20th century and are particularly valuable for identifying contemporary comment where retrospective online newspaper coverage is unavailable. The Library holds press cuttings, up to 1979, on women and the arts at UDC 745-749 (reel 79). In addition to the general press cuttings we also hold scrapbooks of press cuttings, for example 10/1 Scrapbook [probably of the Artists Suffrage League], 10/4 "Votes for women: a picture book of the campaign during recent years compiled principally from newspaper photography by Alex Sydney Millward.
The Library's ephemera collection contains information relating to women's organisations, including leaflets, flyers, minutes of meetings, agendas and all kinds of campaign literature. It includes ephemera on women artists and women arts events and organisations, for example The Arts Coucil of Great Britain. For a full listing click here.
Zines and artist books
The Library's collections currently include more than 350 zines and 27 artist books.
Electronic resources
Electronic resources (online journals and databases) are currently only available to London Metropolitan University staff and students, and can be accessed via the online catalogue with their institutional identification and password. London Metropolitan Academic Liaison Librarians have provided a list of relevant resources for the arts.
Archives
A brief guide to the archives is available on The Women's Library's website. Further details of archives available for research can be found in the archive and museum collections catalogue or in the hard copy catalogues available in the Reading Room on the shelves adjacent to the Enquiry Desk. The following archives, including records of organisations, societies and campaigns relate to women and the arts
2AFL Records of the Actresses' Franchise League, 1909-1916
2ASL Records of the Artists' Suffrage League, 1905-1912 which includes 2ASL/11 Mary Lowndes album
2PRI Title: Memento from 'Practical Suffragists' to Anna M. Priestman, Mary Priestman, Margaret A. Tanner and 'honoured friends', Sep-Nov 1903
5SRW Records of See Red Women's Workshop
7BMC Papers of Barbara McCrimmon related to Barbara Leigh Bodichon [née Leigh Smith], 1826-1989, librarian and collector
7CHB Bouchier, Chili, 1909-1999, actress
7EFA Faithfull, Emily, 1830s-1890s, printer, editor and lecturer
7EFR Fraenkel, Elsa, 1957-1967, sculptor and artist
7FCS Memoir of Florence C. Stevens, c.1909
7GLE Leverkus, Gertrude, 1976, architect
7KMA Schafer, Katherina Maria, 1870-1933, suffragist and actress, alias, Kitty Marion
7MEH Papers of Mary Eliza Haweis
7SMM Papers of Sarah Madeleine Martineau, 1892-2005
9/18 Autograph Letter Collection: Women in the Arts, 1791-1974
Museum (objects, textiles and visual materials)
The Museum collection includes badges, postcards, photographs, posters, textiles, some ceramics and other objects. Further details of museum objects available for research can be found in the archive and museum catalogue or in the hard copy catalogues available in the Reading Room on the shelves adjacent to the Information Desk. Specifically the Museum Collection holds visual materials and objects on a diverse range of subjects. A selection of images from the collection can be viewed at the Mary Evans Picture Library whilst images of the collection of suffrage banners are also available at VADS.
Identifying images
Images can be found throughout The Women's Library's collections. Many digital images are available on Flickr, Vads, the archives catalogue (click on the number in the left hand side) and Mary Evans Picture Library. Use Mary Evans Picture Library's fast service for a non-watermarked high resolution images suitable for publication. If you require an image which has not been digitised you are welcome to use our reprographic service. Normal copyright conditions will apply.
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Web Archive
Women's Issues is maintained by the British Library in collaboration with the Women's Library, London Metropolitan University. The collection was established in 2005 and has regularly collected web sites since then. It includes sites of women's organisations and campaigns, research reports, government publications and statistics pertaining to women, personal sites of women, such as blogs, and women focused e-zines. Specifically relevant to the arts are sites is the Women's Design Centre.
TUC Collections (TUC), London Metropolitan University
TUC Collections were founded in 1868 and holds historical and current reference works on the trade union movement in the UK and overseas, working conditions and industrial relations much of which relates to women and employment. For more information see Sources for the study of women and gender issues in the TUC Library.
London Metropolitan research institutes and centres
The Working Lives Research Institute (WLRI) which is based in London Metropolitan University's Faculty of Applied Social Sciences (FASS). WLRI undertakes socially committed academic and applied research into all aspects of working lives, emphasing equality and social justice, and working for and in partnership with trade unions.
Further information
The staff of The Women's Library can help you find material relating to your subject area; please don't hesitate to ask. You can contact the Information Desk staff prior to your visit on email twlinfodesk@londonmet.ac.uk, by telephone 020 7320 3515 or in person at the Information Desk when in the Reading Room.
Further information
The staff of The Women's Library can help you find material relating to your subject area; please don't hesitate to ask. You can contact the Enquiry Desk staff prior to your visit on email enquirydesk@thewomenslibrary.ac.uk, by telephone 020 7320 3515 or in person at the Enquiry Desk when in the Reading Room.
Image references
Return to source notes
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