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 :)

  1. Marriage in Tudor England

    May 18

    Marriage in Tudor England

    Reposted episode  Welcome back to the Museum of Femininity. In our new episode we will be discussing marriage in the Tudor Period, but more specifically the process of getting engaged and the wedding ceremony. By accessing key moments like this we hope to learn more about the role of women in society. During the Tudor period marriage became more codified with contracts and rules, we also start to see certain marriage traditions that persist today, like having witnesses present. Specific marriage are better documented particularly those of royalty, we will describe the lavish ceremony of Mary Tudors short lived marriage to the King of France, and how this reflects the symbolic importance of an event like this

    28 min
  2. Harriet Mellon

    May 4

    Harriet Mellon

    In this episode we will be exploring the remarkable life of Harriet Mellon (1777-1837) born into poverty Harriet rose to become a successful actress in her own right before marrying the banker Thomas Coutts and inheriting his fortune, making her one of the richest women in England. Following the death of her first husband Harriet married again and became a Duchess! I hope you enjoy this amazing rags to riches story that touches upon the difficulties of navigating society as a women and the tenacity of one woman who rise to the top of the social hierarchy. Sources The Time Traveller's Guide to Regency Britain Book by Ian Mortimer Memoir of Harriet Mellon volume 1 and 2 https://books.google.bj/books?id=8_8_AAAAYAAJ https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Memoirs_of_Harriot_Duchess_of_St_Albans.html?hl=zh-CN&id=iIF0EQAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y https://brightonwomenshistory.org.uk/harriot-mellon-1777-1837/ https://courtstudies.hypotheses.org/1519 https://www.koopman.art/blog-detail/32758 https://www.entwistlefamily.org.uk/wp/resources/twissle-times-articles/harriet-the-entwisle-duchess/

    22 min
  3. Maria von Trapp

    Apr 20

    Maria von Trapp

    Episode 12: Maria von Trapp (reposted) In this episode we delve into the real life of Maria Von Trapp (1905-1987) and the Trapp family singers. Here we see the story of a determined and bright young woman born into difficult circumstances, go from aspiring nun, to beloved governess, wife, member of a successful touring and recording band and then fictionalised character immortalised on the silver screen.  As well as this we will compare the true story with the Broadway and Film musical 'the Sound of Music'.

    23 min
  4. Women in Edo Japan

    Apr 6

    Women in Edo Japan

    Welcome back to the Museum of Femininity. In this episode I explore the role women played in Edo period Japan. A fascinating time of economic growth and cultural flourishing, with a rich visual culture, that I have always admired. As the period stretches over 200 years, this is very much a brief overview of some key topics like marriage and education. I also explore women artists, the Geisha, the role of women in the service industry and farming in addition to the lives of courtesans in the Yoshiwara pleasure district.   As well as this we spend some time analysing the work of Kitagawa Utamaro, to try and tease out some specific examples of how women might have been perceived and the expectations they met in terms of how they behaved and conducted themselves.  It was a wonderful subject to explore and there is so much more to learn. For images mentioned in the episode please visit our Instagram page @the museumoffemininity  Sources Utamaro Revealed: a guide to subjects, themes and motifs by Gina Collia-Suzuki Hiroshige by Adele Schlombs Great Women Artists, Phaidon  https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/japanese-weddings-in-the-edo-period-1615-1868 https://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/gender-expectations-of-edo-period-japan https://dash.harvard.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/f71fdf5d-ec93-40d8-9e0c-5c42dfd54414/content A great book about Geisha: Geisha by Liza Dalby

    31 min
  5. Matchstick Girls' Strike

    Mar 16

    Matchstick Girls' Strike

    Reposted episode In this episode we explore the history of the Matchstick Girls' strike in 1888, which saw 1400 women walk out of the Bryant & May factory, in protest against their treatment. This included poor pay, a highly unreasonable fining system which penalised women for taking breaks, and the lack of support around preventing and supporting women who were inflicted with the deadly disease 'Phossy jaw' which was caused by inhaling toxic particles in the factory. We hope to shine a light on the impact of socialite and campaigners article on Bryant and May, as well as exploring the role the workers played themselves, which in past years has been overshadowed #Victorianhistory #victotianengland #eastend #womeninhistory

    22 min
  6. Agrippina the Younger

    Mar 2

    Agrippina the Younger

    In this episode of the Museum of Femininity we explore the life of Agrippina the younger. A well connected woman she was the Great Granddaughter of Augustus, the sister of Caligula, the wife of Claudius and the mother of Nero. Throughout her life she used her strategic intelligence, determination and influence to not only elevate her son to the position of Emperor but to also place herself in a position of genuine power and respect. In this episode we examine how she reached this point, her problematic depiction in history and her ultimate demise at the hands of her own son. This is a bloody and ruthless period in history and there are many references to murder, incest and suicide.  Instagram @themuseumoffemininity Sources Nero the man behind the myth by Thorsten Opper and Francesca Bologna  https://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/nero-murder-agrippina/?srsltid=AfmBOor5op-6s-h--Yce4SuormZu3laHqOLLwTgmUrwzpIpwf7Vdde7S https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/agrippina-younger-empress-ancient-rome-empress-nero-caligula/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4DwgbSMcR5WZcxYjC2p1c9Z/nero-to-zero-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-brutal-roman-emperor https://lithub.com/power-motherhood-and-murder-on-the-life-and-death-of-agrippina-the-younger/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Julia-Agrippina Podcasts I enjoyed which cover this time period in more detail and discuss the life of Agrippina the Younger  The Rest is History Roman Empire series In Our Time  Your Dead to Me

    26 min
  7. Effie Gray

    Feb 16

    Effie Gray

    Reposted Episode: Effie Gray  In this episode we will be exploring the fascinating life of Effie Gray (1828-1897) a famed beauty, with a charming and vivacious personality, she is an interesting character as her life can tell us so much about Victorian society and the way women were perceived. Here we will be focusing on Effie Gray's unhappy and loveless marriage to the Art critic and Pre-Raphaelite champion John Ruskin and their scandelous annulment, which allowed her to marry the dashing Pre-Raphaelite painter and founder John Everett Millais, who she had fallen in love with. This is a story about the role of a wife, repressed sexuality, a woman's right to love, pleasure and freedom and the power and control of a rigid social structure where every class and gender has to adhere to certain rules and expectations Sources Effie by Suzanne Fagence Cooper This episode was originally released some years ago but was recently deleted. I am gradually reposting episodes but unfortunately have lost most of my sources.

    48 min
  8. Women and the Vienna Secession

    Feb 2

    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
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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
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Museum of Femininity
  • Show Website
    Museum of Femininity