In 2017-18, when we were working on our first book together, The Colour of Time, we found ourselves repeating what would become a familiar lament: there aren't enough women in here.
No matter how much we willed the photographic archives to offer us an equal balance of men and women, all too often we would find ourselves surrounded by dudes with bushy beards. That is why we decided that, in our third book, we would set ourselves a challenge: no dudes; no beards; no men allowed.
The resulting book recounts a history of humanity between 1850 and 1960, told through women's pictures - a selection of which are shown over the following pages - lives and experiences.
Many of the women featured fought for equality, freedom and opportunity during an age where women's rights were curtailed and suppressed, but this is not a work that focuses solely on social justice or injustice. The women we have chosen feature because their stories are interesting and (in most cases) admirable. It is a celebration of their existence and a platform to highlight their stories.
MARGARET SANGER, 1929
"I see immense advantages in being gagged. It silences me but it makes millions of others talk about Ime and the cause in which I live". So wrote Margaret Sanger in 1929 - the year in which this photograph, which shows her being symbolically silenced, was taken. A trained nurse, Sanger had seen first-hand the suffering that unwanted pregnancies - and illegal abortions - could place on women and campaigned tirelessly for every woman to be "the absolute mistress of her own body". Sanger's commitment to the birth control cause saw her silenced, prosecuted and even imprisoned; nevertheless, she lived to see the contraceptive pill made available to women in the 1960s.
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av History Revealed.
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Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av History Revealed.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Dickens's evocation of the fears, excitement and confusion of childhood is peerless'
DR LEE JACKSON ON WHY CHARLES DICKENS REMAINS RELEVANT TODAY
THE AUTHOR GOES ABROAD
Dickens expanded his horizons and boosted his fan-base by venturing overseas - but global fame came with a cost
REVIVING THE FESTIVE SPIRIT
A Christmas Carol wasn't just a bestseller - it changed the way that Britons chose to mark the festive season
GIVING THE POOR A VOICE
From Hard Times to Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens used his pen to help illuminate the lives of the less fortunate
A JOURNEY THROUGH DICKENS'S LONDON
The works of Charles Dickens are synonymous with visions of Victorian London. We talk to Dr Lee Jackson about the author's love of the capital, and the locations that most inspired him
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Dr Lee Jackson chronicles Charles Dickens's journey from down-at-luck teenager to titan of Victorian literature
GIFTS, TREES & FEASTING
We take a journey through the photo archives to reveal how Christmas and its many traditions have been celebrated over the years - and around the world
WHAT GREAT PAINTINGS SAY
We explore the story behind an allegorical painting that celebrates the triumph of love over hate, peace over war
HELLISH NELL
Malcolm Gaskill delves into the life of Helen Duncan - the fraudulent Scottish medium whose ectoplasm-filled seances saw her ending up on the wrong side of the law
7 THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE
Presidential historian Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky reveals some of the most surprising facts about the world-famous US residence