LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
CINDERELLA
JUANA INÉS DE LA CRUZ AUTHOR, ACTIVIST, AND EARLY FEMINIST
FULL NAME: Juana Inés de la Cruz
BORN: NOVEMBER 12, 1651, SAN MIGUEL NEPANTLA (NOW TEPETLIXPA), MEXICO
DIED: APRIL 17, 1695, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
NATIONALITY: MEXICAN
“I don’t study to know more, but to ignore less.”
JUANA INÉS DE LA CRUZ
TEENAGE WONDER
Almost 400 years ago, Juana Inés de la Cruz was her generation’s Malala (see here). An outspoken activist for women’s right to an education, Juana’s scholarly work became known throughout Mexico—and as far as Spain—when she was still a teenager. Aged 16, Juana decided to become a nun in Mexico City, as it would give her the freedom to study and write. At the time, living as a nun was one of the only options for a girl who wanted to pursue these activities. As a nun, Sor (Sister) Juana wrote poetry, plays, and essays, challenging social norms and defending women’s rights. Juana found her own access to education—as she was entirely self-taught. From 1669 until the end of her life, Juana lived at the Convent of Santa Paula, where she wrote, taught music and drama, composed music, and worked as the convent’s accountant and archivist. She built up one of the largest private libraries in the New World. (The “New World” was an early European name for the Americas.)
THE TENTH MUSE
Unlike many writers and artists throughout history, Juana was successful in her lifetime, during the Golden Age of Spanish arts. Her nickname was the “Tenth Muse.” She was a very talented writer and set her hand to many different genres and styles. She was also the unofficial royal court poet in the 1680s. The characters in her plays included women who were both brave and clever, and her religious works praised the learned female saints. Eventually, the Church disapproved of her writing and her beliefs, instructing her to focus on religious studies. However, Juana defended herself admirably, while also asserting all women’s right to knowledge: “One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper.”
Juana has lived on as a lasting icon of many things: Mexican identity, early feminism, and independence. In the 20th century—thanks, in part, to the work of Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (see here) and contemporary artists—Juana became famous again. (She can be seen in Rivera’s 1947 mural, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central in Mexico City, Mexico.) Her ideas and accomplishments were ahead of their time, but the world has finally caught up. She is credited as the first published feminist of the New World and an outstanding writer of her period. Today, Juana’s portrait is on Mexican currency and she remains an inspiration to modern artists, scholars, and feminists.
A statue of Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz, given from Mexico to Madrid, Spain in 1981
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FIRST PUBLISHED FEMINIST OF THE “NEW WORLD” |
JULIA MARGARET CAMERON EARLY PIONEER OF PHOTOGRAPHY
FULL NAME: Julia Margaret Cameron
BORN: JUNE 11, 1815, CALCUTTA, INDIA
DIED: JANUARY 26, 1879, KALUTARA, SRI LANKA
NATIONALITY: BRITISH
Portrait of Julia Margaret Cameron from 1870, by Henry Herschel Hay Cameron
FROM SCIENCE TO ART
One of the most influential and innovative photographers of the 1800s, Julia Margaret Cameron was also a visionary. In the 19th century, photography was a new and developing science—a cutting-edge way to record a person or scene. Julia, however, used her portraits to elevate photography to an art form.
A camera similar to the type Margaret would have used late in her career
A LATE BLOOMER
The fourth of seven daughters, Julia could have disappeared as the middle child of a large family. But instead, she stood out as the most artistic and eccentric. Julia had an international upbringing: while her family was British, she was born in India, educated in France, and spent time in India, Sri Lanka, and Africa.
While in South Africa in 1836, Julia met John Herschel, the famous British astronomer. They became life-long friends, and a few years later he introduced her to photography. He would continue to advise her on technical matters until he died. (Remember, at the time, photography was still a very manual process involving chemistry and darkrooms.) Julia started her photography career relatively late in life, at the age of 48, when her daughter gave her a camera as a present.
Julia’s 1870 photograph, “Vivian and Merlin”—an illustration for poet Alfred Lord Tennyson’s work, “Idylls of Spring”
CAPTURING BEAUTY
Julia experimented with artistic uses for photography and was one of the first ever to do so. She is best known for her portraits, often close-ups of family, friends, and the celebrities from her social circle. Julia used her photographs to re-tell stories from myths and legends, including those of King Arthur. She wanted to capture beauty, and even the sitter’s soul, rather than simple reality. Julia’s style was very unusual: her photographs were intentionally out of focus, and she kept, or even added, scratches and marks in her work. Fellow photographers often thought her work was sloppy, but painters loved her style. Perhaps her work was simply ahead of its time, as she remains a huge inspiration to many modern photographers and other artists. Today, Julia’s work continues to be shown in exhibitions around the world, from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
BEATRIX POTTER ONE OF THE BEST-LOVED CHILDREN’S AUTHORS OF ALL TIME
FULL NAME: Helen Beatrix Potter
BORN: JULY 28, 1866, LONDON, U.K.
DIED: DECEMBER 22, 1943, NEAR SAWREY, CUMBRIA, U.K.
NATIONALITY: BRITISH
A British postage stamp, circa 1979, showing The Tale of Peter Rabbit
PETER RABBIT’S CREATOR
Despite writing 100 years ago, Beatrix Potter remains one of the best-loved and best-selling children’s authors in history. The mischievous Peter Rabbit is recognized by children all over the world.
Beatrix came from a wealthy English family, and her parents were very artistic. At the time, it was common