Favorite Historical Female

[MadImmortalMan]

The Roman chicks who used sex to get what they wanted, well, that's what they had, it worked, and it's very much a female thing as men didn't have to do it. I find it incredibly interesting to see how women, in such a male-dominated society, still managed to carve a good bit of power out for themselves. Does it fit with today's idea of "feminine power"? Of course not, but it's not meant to. It was a different time with very different ideas of humanity, much less male and female roles in society.

Oh, here's another question. Do you guys think that the "feminine" path to power those ladies took is not admirable today? Why not? What if a man attained power through those means? Would you look down on him?

If it's not admirable, then why did we take the male method and make it the "good" one?

[crazy canuck]

Valmy, the point is once you remove the women who attained positions of power and influence you are left with a short list of Madam Currie and well not much else.

I disagee.  I was only using her because she was already mentioned in this thread.  But like Marie you have to look in the arts and sciences and philanthrope and social activism and all that good stuff.

Ok go for it.

Sciences.  Got that list pretty much completed - historically a male dominated area

Arts - fill in the blank, historically a male dominated area

philanthrope - historically what women were independantly wealthy and had the freedom to give away their wealth? - historically a male dominated area

[Valmy]

Ok go for it.

Heh no.  If I have that sort of free time I am taking a nap.

[Maximus]

Marie Curie.

I'll see your Madame Curie and raise you the Countess Lovelace

[Maximus]

Marie Curie.

I'll see your Madame Curie and raise you the Countess Lovelace

I just googled something about her and in a strange coincidence it turns out today is her birthday and she is the subject of Google's doodle for today.

[merithyn]

Ok go for it.

Sciences.   - Smithsonian suggests these ladies. Of them, I knew Rosalind Franklin only.

Arts - This one's a lot easier. Jane Austen, Mary Cassat, Frida Kahlo, Louisa Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Juliana Berners (medieval writer: The Book of St Albans, the Bronte sisters, Lucy Maud Montgomery

philanthrope - Jane Adams (Hull House) - That's all I could come up with for this one, but then, I don't typically know a lot of philanthropists in general.

[derspiess]

Ok go for it.

Heh no.  If I have that sort of free time I am taking a nap.

No shit.

[derspiess]

Ok go for it.

Sciences.   - Smithsonian suggests these ladies. Of them, I knew Rosalind Franklin only.

Arts - This one's a lot easier. Jane Austen, Mary Cassat, Frida Kahlo, Louisa Alcott, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Juliana Berners (medieval writer: The Book of St Albans, the Bronte sisters, Lucy Maud Montgomery

philanthrope - Jane Adams (Hull House) - That's all I could come up with for this one, but then, I don't typically know a lot of philanthropists in general.

I wish you could select the authors who appear on my Kindle when it goes into sleep mode.  Seems like more often than not that ugly-assed Emily Dickinson's face appears.  Ugh, I'd rather have the ads.

[Agelastus]

I've always had a soft spot for Artemisia myself.

From Wikipedia's account of the battle of Salamis -

Herodotus recounts that Artemisia the queen of Halicarnassus, and commander of the Carian contingent, found herself pursued by the ship of Ameinias of Pallene. In her desire to escape, she attacked and rammed another Persian vessel, thereby convincing the Athenian captain that the ship was an ally; Ameinias accordingly abandoned the chase. However, Xerxes, looking on, thought that she had successfully attacked an Allied ship, and seeing the poor performance of his other captains commented that "My men have become women, and my women men".

[grumbler]

Artemisia Gentileschi:  the first female painter to gain fame as an artist on her own.  Ironically, while she was a world-famous figure in her lifetime, a generation after her death her paintings were being attributed to her father.

Plus, her works were fully of kittens and teddy bears:

[Agelastus]

 

I've seen images of that painting hundreds of times and yet I'd never registered that the artist was another Artemisia. Well I'll be...

[Jacob]

Artemisia Gentileschi:  the first female painter to gain fame as an artist on her own.  Ironically, while she was a world-famous figure in her lifetime, a generation after her death her paintings were being attributed to her father.

Good one

[Legbiter]

Marie Curie.

Ooooooh good one

Only bitch to figure shit out on her own. 

[Ed Anger]

To be serious, Thatcher. Argie killin'? Closing coal mines and making Josq cry? Good stuff.

[The Minsky Moment]

 Joan Violet Robinson, of course!