National Portrait Gallery, London

Evocative oil portraits, drawings, satires and personal artifacts portray a period in British history when women explored uncharted social terrain for intellectual expression.

The exhibition is organized into three themes: The Bluestocking Circle explores the movement's 1750s beginnings, when fashionable and intellectually polished women held salons venerating women's mental prowess; Celebrating Modern Muses presents portraits in which contemporary women pose as classical muses, emphasizing their cultural contributions as symbols of Britain's social sophistication; A Revolution in Female Manners surveys the subsequent emerging hostility toward intellectual women in the early nineteenth century, as conventional roles were challenged and the term "bluestocking" evolved from one of distinction to one of insult.

Hester Thrale described the noted bluestocking hostess and Shakespeare critic Elizabeth Montagu as "Brilliant in diamonds, solid in judgment, critical in talk." Uncovering the significant cultural and social influence of a group of forward-thinking women, Brilliant Women explores the foundation of modern civilized society, in which female education and social contributions are a key strength.


March 13 through June 15, 2008
St. Martin's Place
London WC2H 0HE
England
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