Episode 22 - Michelle Reynolds - The New Woman in fin de siècle illustration

Victorian Legacies

In this episode I'm joined by Michelle Reynolds, who researches into representations of the New Woman in fin de siècle illustration. We discuss how the New Woman was featured in art, specifically in illustration. We observe how fairy tales writers like Evelyn Sharp used these to push forward ideas about feminism, reflecting what was in New Woman fiction but aiming these ideas at children. We consider how such tales explored gender identity and dress, coinciding with how the New Woman's dress was seen as a threat to society (alongside demasculinised men and the dandy figure)
About my guest: Michelle Reynolds is a PhD student at the University of Exeter. Her thesis looks at the relationship between the New Woman’s emergence and the professionalism of women illustrators at the British fin de siècle as well as the New Woman’s visual representation and how women illustrators contributed to this representation. More broadly, her research interests include art and literature of the long nineteenth century, women artists, gender and sexuality, print and exhibition culture, photography, and fashion. She is currently a Postgraduate Representative for the University of Exeter’s Centre for Victorian Studies and a Board Member for the journal Romance, Revolution and Reform based at the University of Southampton. Michelle also has an upcoming chapter in the Women in Power collection (edited by Dr Fern Riddell, Dr Emma Butcher, and Dr Bob Nicholson). Michelle's chapter will be in Volume 1: "Bodies: Female Agency, Identity and Sex in the 19th Century". This is due to be published by Bloomsbury Academic in early 2023!
For more information on Michelle's work, check out the details below:
https://centreforvictorianstudies.wordpress.com/
https://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/arthistory/staff/reynolds/
Check out Michelle's suggestions:
The Colour Room - movie about Clarice Cliff's life
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain - movie about Louis Wain's life
A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray
The Story of an African Farm - Olive Schreiner
The Romance of a Shop - Amy Levy
Episode Credits:
Episode Writer, Editor and Producer: Emma Catan
Music: Burning Steaks (by Stationary Sign) - obtained via EpidemicSound
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