Women's roles

Women in the Middle Ages were restricted to do a lot of things. They were mostly supposed to stay in the house and controlled by men. The Middle Ages lacked any type of rights for women and they were forced to be mothers and wives. Women were rarely ever allowed to leave the house but if they needed to leave, they must be escorted by men. Men were the only ones who had any type of rights during that era. “Only men could be citizens; only citizens could vote or own estates, property, or livestock...Women of all classes were considered inferior. Even the wives of citizens were not important enough to be counted in censuses in most of the ancient world until the 3rd century A.D.” (Guerilla Girls pg. 11) As you can see, no matter the status or how rich the women were, they were not considered important. However, women of the lower class had a little more freedom in regards to going out in public and participating in social events. Women were either nuns or married off at a really young age (about 12 or 15 years old). Education was seen as a distraction for women who were meant to be wifes and mothers. Women were beaten by their husbands if they didn’t obey them. Christine de Pizan was known as the women who made a living out of becoming a writer. She was also a single mom. She was born into a rich family and her father educated her. Pizan was a one of a kind woman because she was educated amongst a pool of women who were not. Pizan lead a life that surprised a lot of people She never let anyone put her down or get in the way of the work she was doing. She ended up dying in exile. 

Christine de Pizan in her study

During the Renaissance, it was tough for women to become artists because of men like Leonardo and Michelangelo. The system trying to become an artist as a woman was closed to them. Most women didn’t know how to read or write. One way for a woman to become an artist is being born into an artistic family. Sofonisba Anguissola had a father who thought that women should be educated. In the city of Bologna, women were allowed to go to the university there to learn about philosophy and law. Elisabetta Sirani painted some artwork and people thought that she stole those pieces from her father. She ended up wanting to prove them wrong by going out in public and painting in front of people. Properzia de Rossi sculpted in marble and was the first woman to do so. She lived on her own and she had no man in her life so people started rumors that ruined her life. Because she had no man in her life, people said that she was allegedly a prostitute. 

During the renaissance, the woman had to have a good reason if she wanted to divorce her husband. A woman can divorce her husband if he was impotent. A woman's reputation would be ruined even if she was raped, so in order to save her reputation, she would have to marry him. Only certain women were allowed to wear underwear. 

During the 19th century, that was the beginning of women struggling for equality. Men still painted women as objects.Women were not allowed to join painters guilds and were not allowed to become professional artists. However there were some exceptions to the ones who did have money. During this time, technology got a bit more advanced especially with the railroads. Cameras ended up in people's hands and paintings were threatened by it. It was good for women because they were able to get behind the camera. 

Harriet powers was a woman who freed slaves along with her husband. At one point, she ended up taking part in a quilt and the group of women from Atlantic University wanted Harriet to make another quilt. She was born into slavery then married, had kids anf was also freed. Harriet was not educated and only knew phrases she heard from church or folktales. All of these events, she stitched them into her quilt. She supported herself by making many quilts and selling them. 

Harriet Powers quilt

Edmonia Lewis, who was of african-american and chippewa descent went to Italy to make art about slavery. She made many sculptures which she made money off of. At one point she was accused of poisoning roommates with wine that was poisoned.

Women were expected to do other things like “needlework” instead of artwork and paintings. “Needlework and painting were considered appropriate handicrafts for women and during the first half of the century women are well represented among American folk artists” (Chadwick 205) 

Mary Cassatt was an american painter and was the only woman that had her art respected by others. Cassatt came from a wealthy family and invested her money in promoting her own work. She wanted other women to become artists. 

Over time, women slowly but surely gained some rights but they still struggled being equal as artists with the men. A lot of women went against society and did what they wanted in regards to their careers. Some were recognized for their amazing work and some were not. Men mostly wanted women to be their muse and nothing more because that is what men thought women should be. Over time women were confined to their houses because in the eyes of society, they were only good for mothering and being wives. Some women like these artists decided to go with their gut and believed in themselves enough to make art work and put their work out there knowing it was going to be critiqued by others. 

Hagar by Edmonia Lewis

Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Langara College, 2016.

The Guerrilla Girls. Bedside companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.