One Hundred Leading Ladies

In 2014, American photographer Nancy Honey created a photo exhibition, "One Hundred Leading Ladies: A Portrait of Senior Influential Women in Britain", whose subject is one hundred remarkable British women over age 55;  the project includes portraits and short interviews conducted by former Times journalist Hattie Garlick.

To respect copyright, I'm not posting the photos here, but you can see a selection in The Guardian article here; there were some women I knew (Karen Armstrong, Joan Burstein, Germaine Greer) and many I did not, from farmer to artist to human-rights campaigner. Different perspectives and paths, but each woman is evidently resilient, intelligent and hard-working.

The project's web site lists exhibitions only though last April, so I am hoping it will travel.


In the meantime, the book is available on Amazon. My only quibble is the use of "ladies"in the title, I suppose chosen for alliteration, but I can just imagine Greer's response.

Honey's remarks about her work, and how she chose the subjects are here—illustrated by even more portraits.

She says, "I originally designed it as a series of role models for younger women, but I think it has evolved and become more diverse. It's great to have the achievements of women outside traditional fields in the foreground." In a You Tube interview, shot at the Somerset House opening, she adds that she wanted to counter the culture of celebrity, through a different view of achievement and contribution.

The book would make a marvelous gift, and not just for younger women. These mature women are flourishing, their talent amplified by their life experience. It did me good to read every profile provided in the reviews, and I would like the book, too!

Comments

Thanks for making he aware of this - I appreciate it!
hugs,
Janice
Madame Là-bas said…
It is important for younger women to know about these women who "paved the way". I googled some of these women and I was impressed. Thank you.
Leslie M said…
I appreciate the empowering message of this and your earlier post this week. Both are excellent. Thank you.
Francie Newcomb said…
I tried to go to the project website but was barred from entering it on my server, what in the world does that mean?
Duchesse said…
Francie: The link gave me a "Fatal Error" message now- and who wants that? But I found the book on Amazon so changed the link. Thank you for telling me.

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