Museum of Femininity

Charlotte Appleyard
  • 4.7 (7)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Welcome to the Museum of Femininity, a laid back podcast exploring different aspects of female history and the representation of women in art and material culture My name is Charlotte Appleyard, a graduate with an MA in Art History and Archaeology of East Asia and museum professional. I have a love of Symbolism, Edo period art, fashion history and all things Victorian. Join me as I learn about areas of art and social history which have either faded from memory or were never taught to me in the first place! This is a fun passion project for me to keep me connected to my various interests, I hope you enjoy my rambles :)

Episodes

  1. Women and the Vienna Secession

    6D AGO

    Women and the Vienna Secession

    In this episode we will explore the founding and heyday of the Vienna Secession (1897-1917) art movement. The interesting stifling conditions in which this radical bold new group formed, in addition to the role within played within it. We will explore some female artists and sculptors who rose to prominence at this time and exhibited with the Vienna secession, as well we key muses who inspired founder Gustav Klimt.  Instagram @themuseumoffemininity  Sources https://www.theartstory.org/movement/vienna-secession/ https://www.frieze.com/article/radical-women-artists-turn-century-vienna https://www.klimt-database.com/en/network-vienna-1900/colleagues/teresa-feodorowna-ries/ https://www.habsburger.net/en/chapter/construction-ringstrasse https://www.theviennasecession.com/vienna-secession/ https://www.belvedere.at/en/broncia-koller-pinell https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/elena-luksch-makowsky/

    36 min
  2. Marriage in the Middle Ages

    JAN 19

    Marriage in the Middle Ages

    Marriage in the Middle Ages Welcome back to the Museum of Femininity, in today's episode we start a new series analysing the history of marriage, but more specifically the process of getting engaged, weddings and how people celebrated this happy occasion throughout history. Here we will be looking at the Middle Ages in Britain, the differences between a peasant wedding and an upper class wedding, why people married, what a wedding involved and how traditions of the past were similar and different to those today.  We will also devote sometime to contextualising the time period and having a general discussion about the role of women in Medieval society. Spotify link to episode https://open.spotify.com/show/6K0HqpO1z56qXAK92HoJbk?si=qcelX2uLSI60QkTfQKE8zw Apple link to episode https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/museum-of-femininity/id This episode has been reposted following the deletion of many of my past episodes. Unfortunately, due to the age of the episode I no longer have a record of sources. I hope to revisit this description at some point to add a source list. 196w

    30 min
  3. Ellen Terry

    JAN 5

    Ellen Terry

    In this episode we look back at the life of Ellen Terry (1847-1928) who was a famous and much loved stage actress, known for starring in Shakespearean Plays and popular modern comedies Her career spanned many decades and is perhaps best remembered for her professional relationship with Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre. In addition to her opulent Jubilee celebration in 1906, which was 6 hours in length!  In addition to celebrating Terry's career we also delve into her interesting personal life, which can shine a light on the way women in this professional were viewed and how Ellen was consistently set a part from other women. She was married 3 times, had children out of wedlock and had many unusual romantic affairs. Here we cover her first marriage to artist George Frederic Watts who was 30 years her senior, while she was merely 16 and her last marriage at 60 to a man 30 years her junior. Indeed Terry lived a very unconventional life but was extremely hardworking and hugely talented as well as a warm and passionate person and excellent friend. This is something we can see through her paper courtship with playwright George Bernard Shaw.  All in all Terry's life is peppered with fascinating relationships, career highs, personal breaks, moments of quiet living and then many periods of adventure and travel. Today she is immortalised through Blue Plaques and startlingly memorable portraits which you can still visit today.  To view photos and paintings mentioned in this episode please visit our Instagram page @themuseumoffemininity Sources  https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06269/Ellen-Terry-Choosing https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/sargent-ellen-terry-as-lady-macbeth-n02053 https://www.harpenden-history.org.uk/harpenden-history/people-2/writers-entertainers/ellen_terry_1847-1928 https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2008/dame-ellen-terry-1847-1928 https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/set/126/Ellen+Terry+Jubilee+Souvenir+by+Window+%26+Grove https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ellen-Terry https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/ellen-terry/

    32 min
  4. Lee Miller Part 2

    05/26/2025

    Lee Miller Part 2

    In Part 2 of Lee Miller's story we explore this remarkable woman's life as a war correspondent, wife, mother and gourmet chief. She was a truly inspiring and fascinating individual full of creativity, passion and complexity.  I hope you enjoy this episode! For images please visit @themuseumoffeminity on Instagram Please also find our sources for this episode below The Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony Penrose Lee Miller Archives https://www.leemiller.co.uk/artists/lee-miller/ https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/lee-millers-second-world-war

    1h 3m
  5. Impressionist Women

    03/31/2025

    Impressionist Women

    In this episode we explore the fascinating lives of three important female artists who were key members of the Impressionist movement in the late 19th century.  Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt and Marie Bracquemond  I was deeply moved by the stories of these women, their creativity and resilience and their incredible legacies. I hope you enjoy exploring their lives with me.  This is a re-upload due to past episodes being lost as a result of this it may take me some time to restore the list of sources I used in this episode. I will be more careful in future to keep a record of this outside the episode description!

    1h 1m
  6. Lee Miller Part 1

    02/01/2025

    Lee Miller Part 1

    In this episode we delve into the early years of Lee Miller (1907-1977), fashion model and photographer who captured everything from the latest fashion for Vogue magazine up to the harrowing realities of World War 2. Here we will explore her beginnings in fashion as well as her exploration of photography and association with the Surrealist art movement and in particular her mentor and collaborator Man Ray. Images Instagram @themuseumoffemininity  Sources The story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel  The Lives of Lee Miller by Anthony Penrose Lee Miller archive https://www.leemiller.co.uk/artists/lee-miller/

    41 min
  7. Episode 67: Women in the Circus

    08/26/2024

    Episode 67: Women in the Circus

    In this episode we explore the dangerous lives of 3 incredible women who performed in the circus in the early 20th century. They are; trapeze artist Lilian Leizel, Wild cat performer Mabel Stark and world renowned equestrian May Wirth. Each of these women dominated their art form and garnered fame and respect in a period in history where there were few freedoms for women.  Images Instagram @themuseumoffemininty  Sources  https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/07/100-years-ago-the-women-who-ran-off-with-the-circus/ https://www.circusesandsideshows.com/performers/lillianleitzel.html http://www.circopedia.org/May_Wirth https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/obituaries/mabel-stark-overlooked.html

    27 min
  • 7 Episodes

4.7
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Museum of Femininity, a laid back podcast exploring different aspects of female history and the representation of women in art and material culture My name is Charlotte Appleyard, a graduate with an MA in Art History and Archaeology of East Asia and museum professional. I have a love of Symbolism, Edo period art, fashion history and all things Victorian. Join me as I learn about areas of art and social history which have either faded from memory or were never taught to me in the first place! This is a fun passion project for me to keep me connected to my various interests, I hope you enjoy my rambles :)

Information

  • Creator
    Charlotte Appleyard
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Museum of Femininity
  • Show Website
    Museum of Femininity

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