Modern Portraits for Modern Women

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College possesses some of the earliest portraits of women academics in Britain. Painted by illustrious artists such as James Jebusa Shannon, Philip de László and William Orpen, these portraits are among the first to celebrate women for their intellectual achievements and leadership. Modern Portraits for Modern Women explores this unique collection of paintings created by two of the earliest women’s university colleges. Published together for the first time, these portraits reveal the intersection between the development of modern portraiture and the history of women’s higher education.