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Images of Women in Art

How women are portrayed in art tells much about the status and roles of women in society.

Salome

In the New Testament she's famous for asking for the head of St. John the Baptist -- and she's also been a favorite subject for artists, her depiction reflecting the fantasies of each time. Find a brief biography of Salome with notes about many of the depictions in art -- with links.

Images of Women in Ancient Art

Chris Witcombe, Professor of Art History, Sweet Briar College in Virginia, has compiled a collection useful for academic study or just browsing for your own information. Goddesses and other female images from prehistory, Egypt, Greece, Palestine, and the Aegean are included.

Men Creating Women

Article by Reynolds Price, with the reminder that most images of women portrayed in art, literature and film have been created by and for men.

Portraits by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

Comtesses and princesses and other women of France's elite are among the portraits included in this collection by a 19th century French (male) artist. Click on the portraits to learn more about the individuals.

Self-Portraits and Representations of Womanhood

Images from art of the medieval period forward, showing how women have represented women in art.

Seneca Falls Convention July 19-20, 1848

The National Portrait Gallery highlights portraits in its collection of people involved in the first women's rights convention.

Through Women's Eyes, Finally

For most of history, male artists have defined the female image -- today, women artists are defining the image of women.

Annie Liebovitz: Women

A summary of the photography exhibit focusing on images of women, by Annie Liebovitz who is herself one of the most famous and accomplished women photographers.

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