Cristina Kahlo (1908-1964) was the younger sister of famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, born a mere 11 months after Frida. Their parents were Guillermo Kahlo, a German-Mexican photographer, and Matilde Calderón y González, a Mexican of indigenous and Spanish descent. They also had two older sisters – Matilde and Adriana. She was very close to … Read more
Juliette Gréco didn’t get off to a promising start. She was born as a product of rape – a fact which her mother kept reminding her of. As a child, her mother sent her and her sister, Charlotte, to live with their grandparents. Her mother took them back after her grandparents died in 1938. Juliette … Read more
Genie Chance: Surviving and Broadcasting Through the Great Alaska Earthquake On Friday, March 27th, 1964, the ground in Alaska shook. It didn’t just shake – the earthquake was a 9.2 on the Richter scale – the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded, and the most powerful one in North America. The earthquake was so powerful, … Read more
The Renaissance was a time of great change and creativity in art. Although women were not always given the same opportunities as men, there were many talented female artists who made their mark during this period. Male artists were able to study under established masters, while women were not. Additionally, women were not allowed to … Read more
The first woman to get accepted into the Florence Academy of Art during the Renaissance was almost completely forgotten in art history. When she is mentioned, it’s usually due to a traumatic event in her past: her rape and court trial. But Artemisia Gentileschi was a trailblazing painter very much ahead of her time, and … Read more
Nicole Byer Nicole Byer is currently all over the place – and for a good reason: she’s one of the funniest people out there, male or female. She took the things about her that most people would find tragic: being obese and single in her 30s and turned it into something that is full of … Read more
Throughout history, there have been a number of notable queer women who have made their mark on the world. From Queen Christina of Sweden to Anne Lister, these brave individuals were not afraid to express themselves and live openly as lesbians, even when it was illegal or not talked about. Queen Christina of Sweden (1626–1689) … Read more
Dolores O’Riordan was an Irish singer, songwriter and musician. She was the lead vocalist for the rock band The Cranberries from 1990 until their dissolution in 2003 and again from 2009 until her death in 2018. Her first solo album, Are You Listening?, was released in 2007. Dolores O’Riordan won numerous awards throughout her career, … Read more
Willem Arondeus: Who Was He? Arondeus was a Dutch artist and author who is best known for his role in the resistance during World War II. In 1943, he founded Brandarisbrief, a publication that criticized the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and advocated for resistance. He also led a group of resistance fighters in an … Read more
“And so, on May 13th, 1958, I found myself fighting against modern slavery: hunger!” So wrote Carolina Maria de Jesus in her journal, in one of São Paulo’s poorest favelas (slums). Carolina was born to descendants of slavers, only went to school for two years, and still wrote an international best-seller. Her journal, which was … Read more
She was one of Hollywood’s first stars, known as America’s Sweetheart (despite being born in Canada), but she was also a savvy businesswoman. Along with Douglas Fairbanks (who would later become her husband), Charlie Chaplin, and the producer W.D Griffith, founded the only independent movie studio in Hollywood’s glamour age. Mary Pickford: Childhood Mary Pickford … Read more
“My beauty was my curse, so-to-speak. It created an impenetrable shield between people and who I really was, and made people view me in only one light.” So said Hedy Lamarr, one of the most amazing women of the 20th century and the stars of Hollywood during it’s Golden Age. Lamarr was called “the most … Read more
