Rachel Ignotofsky is a New York Times Best-Selling author and illustrator.
Rachel’s first book, Women in Science (2016), was published as a postcard box set in 2017. Her newest book-inspired postcard set, Women in Art, hit shelves in 2022. Thousands of these cards have since traveled between postcrossers’ mailboxes and inspired us to learn how our foremothers made a difference in the world.
This spring, I was able to catch up with Rachel via web-stream from the big red chair in her California studio.
- Tell us about your studio. What might surprise us about the space?
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I always end up taking over the living room because it’s the biggest room in the house. I have these two giant bay windows that go out to the patio. I open them up while I’m working and I can hear the birds. I have four screens going at once – a big iMac and a 6K display, and a drawing table that’s set up at an angle with a very large iPad. I go back and forth between typing and using a track-pad with my left hand and drawing with a Logitech pencil with my right. Ergonomic stuff that I’ve learned over the years, to protect those joints!
And next to all that is a laptop that’s playing the Great British Bake-off. So, there’s a lot going on.
- You obviously do a lot of research for each subject you cover – and then you narrow the content down to simple elements. Tell us about that process.
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What’s great about illustration and graphic design is that you can do a lot of the storytelling with just a simple drawing.
For me, I always start with the research. The research informs everything that I’m going to draw.
When I was doing research for the “Women in…” series, for some of the women, there was a lot of information available, especially for the Nobel prize winners. But for some of the women who really made significant contributions, sometimes their obituary was where I would have to start research-wise, and through that I could find some primary sources to learn more.
One of the women I featured, Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark: her alma mater Columbia University did an amazing audio archive of her talking about her life. It’s hours long and she talks about her entire career and her childhood, and what was it like prepping for the Brown v. Board of Education case, and what it was like having her husband be the face of the operation. It was such a wonderful resource.
The Women in Science postcard box So, again, I start with all of that – and that informs how I’m going to organize the information. I know graphically how I want it to look. And in the back of my head, I have these buckets I’m trying to fill with text: What’s going to be in the bucket of the main 500-word write-up? Then what are going to be the fun facts: things that are relatable and sticky in our minds? Some pieces I want to be more revealing: what was their character like, or their childhood? For the main illustration, I want to have little elements of their style and career that inform the reader about who they are before they read a single word.
I write about topics that people – for example, those who aren’t in the sciences – might feel insecure approaching. But when I use graphics to teach them before they start reading, it gives them the confidence to start.
- You’ve spoken about your learning differences and how when you were young, comic books helped you approach information in your own way. Can you tell us more about that?
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When I was a kid, I really struggled with reading, and it wasn’t until I started reading densely illustrated nonfiction books – books like DK readers – that I felt successful. There was something about being able to bounce around the page in a non-linear fashion that allowed me to keep my attention long enough to actually read everything on the page.
When learning to read, I remember holding my hand up to the line and struggling to follow my finger to read every word in order. But illustrated books that are more playful and less linear allow you to explore as you read. I didn’t feel like I was breaking any rules by reading the way that I naturally wanted to on the page, and that gave me the confidence – and the excitement and joy – to keep reading.
I’m now working on an elementary book series that’s all about backyard biology – introducing kids to the science that they’re going to be learning in elementary school, but in this really fun way. You could read it straight through, or you could bounce around the page and explore and learn different terms. Like, look at what these worms are doing in the soil. It’s all about freedom and joy when I’m creating my work.
It’s also about reaching as broad of an audience as possible. You reach neurotypical people, and I’ve also gotten a lot of people who have emailed me and been like, my kid has autism and really likes your books. I’m always trying to reach a 10-year-old and someone with a PhD at the same time.
- I love how your illustrations of women scientists show that science is about more than just test tubes. There are flowers and there’s lava – these ladies are super dynamic!
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There’s still a lack of diversity in representation in science. But since this book came out in 2016, there’s been a lot of work done to have more representation in media – more people of color, different genders in science. But many people still don’t think about the diversity of career paths in science.
That was actually a metric I used to decide who was going to be in the book. It wasn’t all going to be chemists. It wasn’t all going to be people who discovered new elements. That’s why there are so many people from the natural sciences – so many botanists or conservationists like Rachel Carson and Sylvia Earle and Jane Goodall. Some are amazed that I put psychologists in as well, but I’m like, yeah, because they’re scientists.
Cover and pages from Rachel’s newest book, What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? I’m doing a new book series for elementary school science – it’s called the What’s Inside series. What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon comes out in September. The cover has my version of an emperor moth. The book follows the journey of moths and butterflies. Everyone always writes about the monarch. Yeah, the monarch’s cool, but it’s a big Order of insects, guys.
Kids naturally are curious. They naturally are drawn to the sciences. It’s the rest of the world that tells them – that’s not science, this is science. Kids want to go outside and play in the mud, and they have questions about the natural world. Those questions are the curiosity that creates a young scientist. So if we can create resources that say yes, this is science – this is more than just playing with flowers and being an outdoor kid. It actually is the beginning of a very rich journey. I’m hoping it sparks young kids to be more scientifically literate in the future, whether or not they choose that as a career path.
A page (also sold as a poster) from The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth - Can you tell us about your relationship to snail-mail? And to postcards specifically?
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I only had one “real job” before working for myself, and it was 4 years working for Hallmark Greeting Cards. Cards, paper product, and snail mail is where I cut my teeth as a professional designer. It was my internship junior year, and then I got the job right out of college. I made an entire line of cards called Studio Ink that had, like, hot dogs with smiley faces that said, I’m a weenie, happy birthday!
At Hallmark, it was all about this idea of, how do you make something that’s so general that it applies to everyone, but it feels specific – like it only applies to you. That is something I’ve applied to my entire career. When I make a book, I want it to be able to relate to everyone but when people pick it up, I want them to think, wow, someone made the perfect book just for me.
I do send snail mail. I have a big stack of thank you cards. I used to send more snail mail when my grandparents were alive; I would send them cards constantly because they loved them so much. Now I am always mailing my friends and family packages. I’m big into package mailing. I also run a shop so literally I’m at the Post Office once a week. When the PO people know you and how you’re doing – that’s thumbs up.
- We celebrated Mother’s Day last month in the USA — were there any striking themes around parenthood that emerged from the biographical stories you researched for the Women in… series?
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I know my work is often read together with parents and their kids. I love to put in fun facts and moments that they can bond over. For example, when Primatologist Jane Goodall began her field research, she took her mom with her on her earliest trip to Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve. Vera Rubin is the astronomer who discovered the first real proof of the existence of dark matter, and her love of astronomy started when she built her first telescope with her dad! There are intergenerational moments of love and support throughout, which I think is very special.
- Do you have a character or idea that has yet to make it to the page?
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I have to be quiet about my ideas. I can tell you I’m about to work on a new book that’s all about dinosaurs and prehistoric life. And I just wrapped my last project – What’s Inside a Bird’s Nest? I got to draw the embryo development inside the egg. I like it when I get to draw gross things and make it pretty.
- How do you know when a piece is finished?
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When it’s due. You could work on something forever if you wanted to and really nitpick yourself. When it comes to being a professional artist, discipline is the name of the game. That’s what takes it out of the hobby space and into the professional space. A level of discipline that tells you to work when you don’t want to work, and also to put down the brush when you need to put down the brush.
To learn more about Rachel and her work, check out her website, where you’ll find free downloads as well as links to previous interviews she has given. You might also enjoy this live art demo with the New York Times! Her postcard sets can be found at Penguin Random House’s website and through a number of other popular retailers.
For those who’ve made it all the way to the end, we have a giveaway for you: Clarisse is planning to send 4 postcards from Rachel Ignotofsky’s sets to 4 randomly picked postcrossers! 🎉 To participate, leave a comment below sharing the remarkable contributions of a woman from your country — someone who you would like to see being featured on a postcard. Check back this time next week for the winners!
And the winners of this giveaway, as chosen by Paulo’s random number generator are… Hohdin, little_coffee_bean, chrisbonham11 and FutureCatDVM! Congratulations, and thank you for your enthusiastic participation!
159 comments so far
Great article. There are so many women how needs to be honored: First how I think of and will be great to draw, because of her costume is
Mata Hari, pseudonym of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan. During World War I, she was recruited as a spy. However, she was accused of double espionage and executed by the French. The question of whether she was really a double agent is a subject of debate and contributed to her legend-making.
I love the "Women in Science" and "Women in Art" Postcards! I think there should be a card about Beate Uhse (1919-2001). Now, her Name ist known for the erotic business she found, but she informed many women about birth control, created access to contraceptives, and was even a Pilot!
Great article.
Clara Campoamor is widely accredited as one of the main catalysts behind women’s suffrage in Spain, which was achieved in 1931. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1931 along with only two other women who advocated suffrage, speaking out for women’s rights and the discrimination suffered by children born outside of marriage. Women’s right to vote was fully achieved and exercised in 1933 with Campoamor going on to publish “El voto femenino y yo: Mi pecado mortal” ("The female vote and I: my deadly sin) in 1935. Her remains now lie in San Sebastian and nowadays many schools, parks and institutions bear her name, and the Clara Campoamor Awards occur annually, awarding groups or people who’ve worked hard to defend women’s rights.
I love these series, it's always a pleasure to find a card like that in my mailbox.
I think there should be a card about Agnes Pockels. She didn't study because she had to take care of her parents but she managed to teach herself and made some seriously astounding contributions to the field of physical chemistry.
Great blog - a Hollywood Handshake* from here! I would like to see Prof Sarah Gilbert (vaccine pioneer) feature on a card for her influential work on vaccines: malaria, Ebola and MERs as well as COVID. Inspiring indeed.
*Great British Bake Off reference!
Thank you for this very interesting article! I would love to win the giveaway! A woman from my country that I think should be honored is Bella DePaulo. She is an author and researcher and has spent her life advocating for single people's rights. I truly admire her. Her new book, Single At Heart, will be published this year in 2023.
A woman I think is overlooked is Dr Helen Taussig, an early pioneer in the field of pediatric cardiology. She saved lives in a time most babies born with heart defects died. She was laughed at for thinking cardiac surgery on an infant was possible. And she herself had disabilities and yet became a Dr in a time few women had that opportunity.
Thank you for the great interview! I am one of the postcrossers who love to send & receive the Women in Science cards. As for the women who should be remembered: living in the Netherlands, I am completely with Toome2 and would recommend Mata Hari. As a German I'd suggest the aviatrix Elly Beinhorn (but Beate Uhse would be fine, too!)
I would love to see a postcard set made for Women in Jazz. The following singers would make for a great compilation. If one were chosen, Ella Fitzgerald would be my favorite.
Thank you.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), Billie Holiday (1915–1959) Bessie Smith (1894–1937), Carmen McRae (1920–1994), Dinah Washington (1924–1963), Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990), Betty Carter (1929–1998), Anita O'Day (1919–2006), Abbey Lincoln (1930–2010).
Dorina Nowill was born in 1919 and was an educator whose tireless efforts made Brazil more responsive to the needs of visually impaired.
An unfortunate illness left Nowill blind at the age of 17. As the first blind student to enroll in a regular school in São Paulo, she found it difficult to find the books she needed. As a result, she began advocating for all students’ access to culture and information. Becoming a teacher at her alma mater, Nowill implemented training for education of the blind and won a scholarship to further her studies at Columbia University in the United States. In 1946 she and some friends established the Foundation for the Book of the Blind in Brazil with the country’s first large Braille press, enlisting volunteers to transcribe various publications. She died in 2010 and was recognized as one of the most influential Brazilian women in the 20th century.
Super interesting interview! Being a scientist, this series has always caught my attention and it is really nice to read about the author :) And being italian I think I will love to see an illustration of 3 wonderful - yet completely different - women: Margherita Hack, Maria Montessori and Rita Levi Montalcini
Ingrid Daubechies born 17 August 1954) is a Belgian physicist and mathematician. She is best known for her work with wavelets in image compression. What a wonderful idea to give some well-deserved attention to women who do great in art or science. Warm greetings from Belgium, Ann
What a great interview about a the very interesting work of a fantastic woman.
I love women in art and just got Frida Kahlo from this box.Wonderful!!
What about women in music?? I would'nt classify in pop,rock,jazz ,country , classic music or others
There are great women in every genre of music.That would be so wonderful!!ooking forward to your next works.
Christa McAuliffe was a social studies teacher from my home state of New Hampshire. In 1986, she joined the crew of the space shuttle Challenger to be the first teacher in space. She was planning on doing experiments and teaching a couple lessons from space. Unfortunately, less than two minutes after launch, the shuttle broke apart killing all onboard. I would love to see her featured on a postcard! (I don’t own the Women in Science postcard set, so perhaps she already has been featured. If so, thank you!)
Great interview! I'd love to see any of the great female romanian poets on a card - Alice Calugaru, Ana Blandiana, Carmen Sylva.. They all wrote with such sensitivity describing their inner worlds and the world itself. I've been getting lost in their poems lately.
I would like to propose Golda Meir, the fourth Prime Minister of Israel (from 1969 to 1974). She is the only female head of government in the Middle East to date; and has been described as the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics, with a reputation for being down-to-earth and a persuasive speaker.
Oooh! I need to get that "Women In Art" set! All your cards and books are incredible!
I agree with Wildernesscat that Golda Meir would be a great choice!
These are such beautiful and informative postcards! For women in science I recommend Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first woman in space. For women in art I recommend Emily Carr, a Canadian artist famous for her paintings of indigenous people and their villages and totem poles.
I am a man who admire those woman whose actually has contribute so much to the nation & world. Absolute respect for all mum in the world, they sacrifice themselves, their times, expenses, feeling & much more for the family.
For my country, numbers of women whom play role in build the nation, preserve the art & culture. For timebeing, i’m amaze by our D.Y.M.M Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah. She’s very humble despite being the wife of current Agong. She reform movement of the Tenun Pahang Diraja programme & the backbone of The Tunku Azizah Fertility Foundation.
Wonderful interview, beautiful postcards!
I would like to see Agneta Matthes honoured. She was a Dutch entrepeneur in the 19th century. She and her husband owned several factories and started the co-operative movement in the Netherlands. By creating houses for their workers (the Agneta park still exists), education for workers and their children, a share in the profits, accident assurance, works council, etc.
And she owned her own perfume factory named Maison Neuve. They didn't have children, but when she, after his death, discoverd he had another wife with three children and their mother died, she adopted those children.
A real power woman!
Please excuse me but I didn't know about Rachel before I read this blog and I didn't know postcard books existed before I read this blog. She seems fascinating and postcard books has me thinking about books in a whole different way. I've been thinking about doing a children's book on Racism but there's so much that could be pictured, I've had a hard time knowing where and how to start. The idea of a postcard book has me thinking in a whole different direction. Thank you Rachel!
I was so pleased when I got my first Rachel Ignotofsky postcard - showing Maria Sibylla Merian - a woman scientist who I already revered (and I AM a woman in science). I explored Rachel's work right away. Each new card I receive fills me with delight. Rachel picked a wonderful group of women to celebrate in both series!
Another woman - not in science, not in the arts - who I think should be portrayed? Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor under Franklin D Roosevelt.
Also Angela Davis (are living people OK to recommend?). Or Toni Morrison.
Thanks so much for this feature. I have both of her Woman In... sets and love sending them out!
Amazing work to let people see and better understand that women have played an important role in science, art and any other field, thank you Rachel!
I'll highlight a woman of science and a woman of art from Italy:
- Rita Levi Montalcini, neurobiologist, Nobel Price for Medicine for the discovery of nerve growth factor.
- Artemisia Gentileschi, Baroque painter, but her achievements were overshadowed because she was raped and then tortured to give evidence during the trial.
I received my first Women in Science card from PC when I was feeling down about my PhD progress. I clipped it to my desk, and it really helped give me a push. 💜
Right at the beginning of my studies in literature, I discovered feminist literature for myself. That was my main topic. And so it was logical that Alice Schwarzer and her magazine Emma accompanied me during my studies and decades later. She's controversial, yes - and we owe her a lot. She fought tirelessly for women's rights, including abortion rights and against headscarves and prostitution.
Thank you for the interesting interview!
I met Rachel once a few years ago at a local exhibit. I chatted with her, because her illustrated postcards had caught my eye.
The scientist I would like to suggest is the mathematician Katherine Johnson. She helped confirm the accuracy of electronic computers used by NASA and performed critical calculations that ensured safe space travel. One thing that has stuck in my mind is that John Glenn trusted her calculations for the equations for his early orbital mission, not the electronic computers.
A Women in Politics/Leadership would be a nice addition to the canon.
Benjamin Banneker, definitely needs a postcard and more books and publicity. Thanks to Rachel for sharing her creative process!
I love the idea of "meeting" postcard artists and love that you featured a woman who celebrates women! A lot of postcrossers seem to like trains. Kate Shelley was an Iowa teenager whose heroic act to save trains from a washed-out bridge would make a dynamic card. Or an indigenous person, Sacajawea, whose quick thinking may have saved the Corps of Discovery during their 1803 trek west. Or to pick another popular Postcrossing topic, what about a lighthouse keeper's family? At least one young woman helped rescue survivors of a shipwreck near their lighthouse!
Thank you so much for this article - I had not heard of these postcard series!
I think Elizabeth Bagshaw, MD would be a great woman to feature on a postcard. She had a 70-year (!!!) career as a family physician with a primary focus on obstetrics. In the 1930s, despite intense criticism from the medical and religious communities, Dr. Bagshaw became actively involved in Canada’s first and illegal birth control clinic. She served as the clinic’s medical director for over 30 years pioneering areas of family medicine that, while universal now, were not widely practiced. As a tireless champion for the place of women in medicine and the rights of women to control their own reproductive destinies, Dr. Baghaw’s impact can be seen in the lives of many women today.
Would love to see some Canadian artists like Jinny Yu.
I enjoyed the article. I have not seen either series of postcards. I will now look for them.
The woman I would like to see in Women in Science series is: Mary Sears - she was an oceanographer in the Navy whose research led the US to victory in the Pacific theater during WWII. Thank you.
I love those cards! I would like to see one featuring an unsung American war hero, Baltimore native Virginia Hall. Despite having lost a leg in a hunting accident, she joined Britain's Special Operations Executive, where she was the organization's first female spy in France. She set up a network of spies and local supporters and conducted reconnaissance, espionage, and sabotage against the Germans. The Nazis were desperate to capture her, calling her "the most dangerous of all Allied spies." She survived the war and died in Maryland in 1982. You can read about her in a biography called A Woman of No Importance.
Dolores Huerta. She worked with Cesar Chavez as a labor leader & civil rights activist, co-founding The United Farmworkers Association (now known as United Farm Workers). She was one of the organizers of the Delano grape strike in California in 1965, & led the contract negotiations for the workers after the strike. She was involved in community service & advocated for workers', immigrants', and women's rights, & is still influential in the Latino/Chicano community.
We have many musicians in our family. We would love to see postcards about Women in Music: composers, performers, conductors....so many to choose from.
Fantástico!
Great Canadian suggestions @wendyquilter and @Chirp2lou !
I would like to add writer Margaret Atwood (there's a fun and interesting character), Mary Simon (current Governor General), Elsie MacGill (first woman to earn an aeronautical engineering degree and first woman in Canada to receive a degree in electrical engineering), and Viola Desmond (business person, civil and women's rights activist; featured on our $10 bill).
An American woman that I would recommend is Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer cells - taken without her permission - led to significant advances in medical and scientific research.
Thanks @CStar9 for sharing the interview, and thanks also to Rachel Ignotofsky for giving the time for the interview.
Very interesting interview, and thanks for the giveaway! I would love to see a postcard with Aletta Jacobs. She's the first woman to graduate from university in the Netherlands. She needed approval from the prime minister to attend. She became a doctor and an activist for women's right to vote.
I have family members who live in the Aletta Jacobsstraat 😊
Thank you! I adore your interviews!
Clarisse's blog is just amazing 🤩 Thanks a lot for this giveaway!
I'd love to see a postcard of astrophysicist Margherita Hack, who also did a great job as a scientific disseminator. She was a professor of astronomy and the first woman director of the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste in Italy, She fought against pseudosciences, supported civil rights for LGBT people in Italy (in a time when it wasn't even possible for a gay or lesbian couple to get legally recognized, she advocated for civil unions), supported animal rights (she was a vegetarian since birth) - and was a cat lover 😻
Thank you for the great article!
I would like to suggest Elisabeth Dauthendey. She was a teacher, author and early fighter for womans rights here in Würzburg.
Great article! I would like to see more interviews like this with postcard creators. Not just artists who draw, but also photographers who take pictures for postcards as well. And I would also appreciate interviews with those who sell postcards, online as well as traditional "brick and mortar" stores. For instance, I have found that museum gift stores are great places to shop for postcards. Maybe do an interview with a director of a museum or museum gift store and ask questions like "What is your most popular postcard and why do you think people like it?" I know, there are those who would not get into these interviews, but for "postcard nerds" like me, this kind of thing is fascinating!
Great blog post and interview! I really like her illustrations - they remind me a bit of Charley Harper, who also did science illustrations for kids. I would love to see a postcard with Ruth Bader Ginsburg! The second woman appointed to the Supreme Court, who endured so much sexism at the beginning of her career and in law school. I think it would have discouraged a lot of women, but it just made her more determined!
Great article.
Thanks for sharing. :)
I would like to suggest:
"Lois Elsa Hole (née Veregin; 30 January 1929 – 6 January 2005) was a Canadian politician, businesswoman, academician, professional gardener and best-selling author. She was the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. She was known as the "Queen of Hugs" for breaking with protocol and hugging almost everyone she met, including journalists, diplomats and other politicians."
I’m a big fan of these “Women in Science” and “Women in Art” postcard sets. Such an amazing way to recognize the contributions made by women in these fields!
I think someone who should be featured on one of these postcards is Carrie Derick. Despite living in an era where women were discouraged from pursuing higher education, she defied societal expectations and pursued a degree. After graduating from McGill University, she achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first female instructor at her alma mater. After that, she went on to make history by becoming the first woman to be selected as a full professor at a Canadian university. Derick made huge contributions to studies of heredity, and even founded McGill’s Department of Genetics!
I've received "Women in Science" cards and really enjoyed them. I would like to nominate Melinda French Gates. Her work in technology ex. encouraging women in computer science and global philanthropy is inspiring.
This was awesome to read! My sister, niece, and I all love the Women in Science and Women in Art books.
I would love to see Ynes Mexia featured on a postcard. She is a Mexican-American botanist who started her career in her mid-fifties! Despite having a relatively short career, she collected over 145,000 specimens of plants from all over the Americas and Alaska! To boot, she did all of this during an era where women were actively dissuaded from persuing these kinds of activities, as they were not "ladylike behavior."
Excellent article!
I would love to see Henrietta Lacks featured on a postcard.
Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman whose cancer cells are the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized human cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line reproduces indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day
A very interesting and informative article. I think there should be a post card of Katherine Johnson. She was an incredible mathematician and African American. She worked for NACA (now NASA) and was very influential in flight research.
Very interesting article and comments!
Siouxsie Wiles is a modern scientist in New Zealand now, with bright pink hair and enthusiasm for science to reach children (and everyone!). While her day-job is Associate Professor and head of the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the University of Auckland, she is frequently in the media to bring interest to modern scientific themes and was a big contributor towards the Covid vaccination campaign in New Zealand. She was the 2021 Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year.
Thank you for the interview. I would propose Isala Van Diest, the first female doctor in Belgium.
Puh, it is so weird, when you start to think about women in society and history especially in my country it is so hard. There is nearly no one who comes immediatly to your mind. Ok except Anne Frank and Sophie Scholl. I think the named Beate Uhse is a really great person for a postcard. I also think that Angela Merkel, is an impressive woman. I dont know if there is any woman who was such a long time head of a government. She is also a physican and very smart. O once read an article about Lou Andreas-Salomé. She also must have been a very impressive person.
Great blog and excellent interview. I love hearing about her process and am a great admirer of the results. As for a new series I concur with Vitalynne's suggestion for Women in Jazz and for a serious of leaders in politics and civil-rights such as Dolores Huerta as mentioned by joustmip. My personal favorites would be the two women whose portraits and accompanying quotes hang above my desk: Barbara Jordon, "If the society allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority" and Shirley Chisholm, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."
I absolutely love these sets! I just finished reading Chelsea Manning's memoir, and a card featuring her would be so cool.
Great article on a fascinating topic! I’d recommend to honor two Swiss women who lead the charge for women’s voting rights in Switzerland — fully obtained only in 1971.
Marthe Gosteli, a leading women’s rights activist, who organized, lobbied, and worked persistently for this cause.
Another key figure was Helene von Mülinen, who was involved in the early days of the Swiss women’s suffrage movement.
Puh, it is so weird, when you start to think about women in society and history especially in my country it is so hard. There is nearly no one who comes immediatly to your mind. Ok except Anne Frank and Sophie Scholl . I think the named Beate Uhse is a really great person for a postcard. I also think that Angela Merkel, is an impressive woman. I dont know if there is any woman who was such a long time head of a government. She is also a physican and very smart. One important woman, a nun, who described first the femal orgasm is Hildegard von Bingen. She was also a poet and a componist.
So nice to read about Rachel! I love her art works.
There are several Brazilian Women that certainly deserved to be featured on these king of postcards. I can give as example ELZA SOARES, she was a brilliant singer. Being a poor black lady, was abused and had few chances in life, but became a edicated mother and wonderful artist.
This article was fantastic - especially because, as the holder of the 'world's largest' feminist postcard and feminist postage stamp collections, Ms. Ignotofsky's work has a good bit of standing in the former and is partnered quite brilliantly with the latter too.
As a feminist I have to nominate the collective of women that founded and continue to run Canada's longest running rape relief shelter (50 years this year!): Vancouver Rape Relief.
a great interview and beautiful cards! thank you Rachel for telling the world more about all these wonderful women! ❤️ a remarkable woman from my home country (Russia) - Yekaterina Dashkova. she was the first woman in the world to head a national academy of sciences, the first woman in Europe to hold a government office and the president of the Russian Academy, which she helped found.
Well, I love this artist's work so much I have already purchased the women artists and have sent quite a few off==the plus feature is you have 50 to keep for your own delight and 50 to give to others--a win-win. If I have enough moula ($) at the end of the month, I will be picking up the scientists set as well, because women need to be recognized for their contributions as well as their male counterparts in the arts and the sciences---the next postcard set Rachel does should be literature---lots of material to use there. Great job! Thanks.
After reading the posts by others, of course, there should be a set of women in music, women in politics, ....Rachel should be busy for awhile taking in these great ideas----hahaha. Get crackin' girlfriend!
What a great interview! I love Rachel's work and have used both sets of postcards to send to fellow Postcrossers. I hope more of her work is produced as postcards.
A Women in Literature series would be incredible, and I'd choose Willa Cather as one subject.
I just got one of those cards the other day - Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist! So cool, I want to see if I can find any more of the set! I would love a Women in Literature series also - I love Claire de Duras and Françoise de Graffigny.
I almost leaped out of my seat when I saw this post!!!! Clarisse is a pen pal of mine, and they've been so excited about all of the interviews, and I loved reading them, too! I'm so happy to see these posted on the official site. Well done, Clarisse!!!!
Gabriela Silang was a leader of the independence movement from Spain in her hometown. She took over when Spanish authorities assassinated Diego Silang. She rode a horse and wielded a bolo (single edged knife). Eventually the Spanish authorities captured her and her troops before hanging them all.
I would love to see one about Eugenie Clark, also known as "the Shark Lady," who founded Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Saratota, Florida, back in 1955. She also conducted countless lectures about elasmobranch fishes, wrote several books, and published innumerable papers.
She would have been 100 last year, but sadly, she is gone now. I'm fortunate to have been one, as a Mote Marine intern, who had the pleasure of meeting her, hearing speak, and owning her early book. Shark Lady would make a great subject for these post cards.
Since I saw the first postcard I loved them. I have a website only for women in Spain,
http://seriesbasicas.afinet.org/basicas/paises/espana/mujeres_celebres.htm
where any of them could be a postcard. My favorite is María de la O Lejarraga, a woman from La Rioja (Spain) who had to see how her husband signed his books and took the honors. Her ideas about the action of women in society were articulated around two elements: sex and social class. In 1933, she was elected deputy to the Congress of the Republic in Spain.
At the end of the Civil War, he began a long exile in France, Mexico and Argentina, where he finally died in 1974.
What a fantastic interview. I love the postcards and I think I would like to find a way to use them in my gender studies class. I'm not Japanese but live in Japan, so I'll nominate Shidzue Kato, one of the first women elected to the Japanese Diet, but more importantly, a birth control pioneer for the country. She fought hard her entire life towards this end, and it took a long time. It was only in 1999 (!) that the pill became legal in Japan, but at least she lived to see this result, passing away a couple years later at the age of 104.
Barbara Margaretha "Meta" von Salis (3 January 1855 – 15 March 1929) was a Swiss feminist and historian, as well as a regular correspondent of Friedrich Nietzsche.
I really enjoyed that interview, especially how she tries to make all her cards enjoyable, yet specific to everyone.
I am not from Guatemala, but I spent a year living there, and I think it would be great to see Rigoberta Menchu on a postcard. She is an activist for indigenous rights, as well as an activist for peace during the Guatemalan civil war. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.
I love her "Women in Science" series card! I also love her drawing style; it's very informative in just one drawing!
As an Indonesian, I'd like to see Raden Adjeng Kartini on the card. She was a prominent Indonesian activist who advocated for women's rights and female education in late 1800's. She's acknowledged as a National Hero of Indonesia.
I don't have the card boxes (yet), but got some of the cards, I like them very much!
As an Austrian I'd like to see Marie Jahoda at a card, she was a social scientist, did research on Gender Studies, and Social Psychology.
This was a great article. I've 3 books of Rachel's on my shelf and they're such a treat to the eye. I love using those for my students.
I'd love a postcard having Faye D'Souza. She's an Indian journalist and also an alumnus of the college I post graduated from. She quit the mainstream media some time back to freelance through social media. Her style is simple and straight-forward and in a time when the journalists have been bought by TRP ratings and even governments, her impact in bringing together the mindful population has been immense. I'd like to have a personality like hers' :)
Love the women in science/art and those caterpillar cocoons look great too. One women from Dutch history I would like to mention is Hélène Kröller-Müller (11 February 1869 – 14 December 1939) a German born art collector. She was one of the first European women to put together a major art collection. She is credited with being one of the first collectors to recognise the genius of Vincent van Gogh. She donated her entire collection to the Dutch people, along with her and her husband, Anton Kröller's, large forested country estate. Today it is the Kröller-Müller Museum and sculpture garden and Hoge Veluwe National Park, one of the largest national parks in the Netherlands. I visit the museum at least once a year, always heading for the Van Gogh gallery first.
Thank you so much for this article!
One of my friends owns Women in Science set and sent me one of my favorites, Jane Goodall. I've always been interested in zoology and ethology/zoopshychology, studies of animal behavior.
One of great Russian zoopsychologists was Nadezhda Ladygina-Kohts. She is co-founder (with her husband) of the first museum of natural history in Russia, Moscow State Darwin Museum, and author of several monographs about monkey and apes behavior. She did amazing work documenting (daily!) emotions, behaviors and development of young chimpanzee Joni and later her own son Rudolph, and made great comparative study of them, all the similarities and differences. Methods she invented while working with chimpanzee are still used today, and her studies are considered classics of primate ethology.
Great! Interesting to read about Rachel's work and her process.
I took a look in my 'Famous women of Utrecht' book, a little book about some famous women from the past from the city where I live.
One is Trijn van Leemput (1530-1607), who led a group of women to begin to demolish the castle on the Vredenburg square (which was used by the Spanish rulers). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trijn_van_Leemput
Another, a bit more recent one, is Truus van Lier (1921-1943), a resistance hero during the Second World War. Since 2022 there is a statue of her around the place in Utrecht of her liquidation in 1943.
Thanks for the great interview. I would like to see Euphrosyne (or Efrosinia) of Polotsk on a postcard.
Great article! I love the drawing style of the cards!
A woman who i recently stumbled across and who i think is very interesting would be Fanny Lewald. She was a german writer who fought for who fought for emancipation in the 19th century and campaigned for women to have an easier time filing for divorce.
A candidate from today would be Özlem Türeci in my eyes. She contributed significantly to the development of the mRNA vaccine against the Corona virus.
Amazing article. I've bypassed Rachel Ignotofsky's postcards in the past, but this interview opened my eyes to what a talented illustrator and author she is. I suggest she feature Lucy Stone (1818-1893), an orator, abolitionist and woman's rights activist who grew up about 20 miles from where I live in Massachusetts, USA. The first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, the first woman to keep her birth name when she married, and the first person to be cremated in Massachusetts when she died. She brought Susan B. Anthony into the women's rights movement. Lucy Stone traveled widely during the 1850s lecturing on women's rights. In 1869, she founded the American Woman Suffrage Association, which merged with the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1890 to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
great !
I'd like to talk to you about Julie-Victoire Daubié (1824-1874), she is the first woman to obtain the baccalaureat in 1861, and the the first women to graduate in litterature in 1871 in a period when the sorbonne university was not open to women.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie-Victoire_Daubi%C3%A9
A card about Dawn Wright Chief Scientist ESRI and the first black woman to explore Challenger Deep in July 2022.
Great illustrator! Love her cards. I would like to nominate: Born in 1842, enslaved woman Virginia Dementricia worked on a plantation in Aruba and showed little resistance from an early age. As a teenager, Dementricia already started to resist her 'owner'. In 1859 she stole his clothes, which she then put on. He turned her in and Virginia was punished. Tried to escape later that year, but was caught for "runaway" and jailed for eight days. Van der Biest sold Virginia, so that she moved to Curaçao in 1860, where she experienced the end of slavery in 1863.
Many people think that there was no slavery in Aruba. But that is not the case, and black resistance has always been there. The story of Dementricia proves that.
Great interview! There are so many women to mention, hard to pick one, mhm, maybe Anita Augsburg, a german suffragette.
There is a wonderful website called fembio with ca. 13000 biographies of women, german and international, at the moment mostly in german but some are already translated into english https://www.fembio.org/english/
Very informative and enjoyable to read. I look forward to seeing more of these in future posts and will look into getting some of the postcards from her set. Listing to the other interviews was another learning experience for me.
How nice to read all this. I never got a card of her. I know because postcrossers ask for the cards that thet exist. And now that I have seen some if them I must say I understand why they ask for them.
Thanks for sharing the interview.
I so enjoyed reading this interview. I have the women of science cards, can't wait to find the art cards. Plus my daughter teaches science and will look for the book for her in Sept.
Thank you for this great interview. I'll check out that Women in Science postcard book. I don't know if she was featured in that collection but I would like to see Virginia Norwood and her contributions to the NASA/USGS Landsat program recognized on a postcard.
Thank you for the interview!
My nomination is a Artist her name is Maud-Lewis (1901-1970). She is one of Canada's most beloved folk artist. Born in south Ohio, Nova Scotia, she spend her her entire life in Digby and Yarmounth counties. She grow up on a farm with her mother, Agnes, her father, John, and older brother Charles. Her childhood was happy and carefree, full of art and music. Maud attended school and learn to play piano.
When Maud was a child, her mother encouraged her to paint Christmas cards and sold them for 5 cents per card. Living with arthritis and having no formal training, Maud used a palette of vibrant colours to capture the spirit of rural Maritime life.
After marrying Everett Lewis in 1930s, the pair continued to sell her paintings on trips throughout the countryside and from the front of their house. As Maud's heath deteriorated, she rarely left their tiny one-bedroom house, witch served as her main canvas, where nearly every surface of the interior was painted.
Following Everett's death, the house was acquired by the Province of Nova Scotia. It was restored and now on permanent display, along with a collection of Maud's paintings, at the Art Galley of Nova Scotia in Hailfax.
One of the USA presidents has still a painting of her.
Hi,
If you're interested in Maud Lewis story and like know more. They make a movie about her with Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke. Came out in 2016 and is called; "Maudie".
Dickie Chappell-photojournalist from the 1950-60s
Great job! Many important women from my country that deserve to be remembered, I choose Concepción Arenal (1820-1893), lawyer, social activist and feminist that reformed life conditions into the prisons; as a teacher I admire her sentence: "Abrid escuelas y se cerrarán cárceles" (Do open schools, and prisons shall be closed).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concepci%C3%B3n_Arenal
In US, Florence Bascom, the first woman to earn a PhD in geology in the US. Or Dr Lucy Jones, a earthquake warning expert; both with USGS for many years, much public service. Interesting and inspiring.
I really enjoyed this article. I especially enjoyed reading about her experiences with learning to read and reading in general as I think my daughter could relate to it.
I nominate Elizabeth Kenny (1880 - 1952) an Australian nurse who changed the treatment of polio which basically led to the beginning of Physiotherapy.
This is great. I really enjoyed the interview, and look forward to exploring the blog more too. I am familiar with the Women in Science cards, but just discovered the Women in Art cards this month. I don’t know which women who are already in each card set, but here’s my suggestions.
Helen Keller, who was the first blind-deaf person to effectively communicate with the sighted and hearing world.
Harriet Tubman, who was best known for her work in the Underground Railroad, but also fought for women’s rights, founded a nursing home for African Americans, and so much more.
Thank you!
Kate Hurley, DVM was the first veterinarian in the world to do a residency in Shelter Medicine, and became the Founding Director of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine. She has really paved the way for this field! https://www.sheltermedicine.com/about/our-personnel/kate-hurley-dvm-mpvm-program-director
I wanna recommend a Chinese female scientist: Tu Youyou. Ms Tu Youyou discovered artemisinin, used to treat malaria, a breakthrough in 20th-century tropical medicine, saving millions of lives in South China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. She received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine and is the first Chinese Nobel winner in medicine and the first female citizen of China to receive a Nobel Prize in any category.
It has been a great joy toe receive some of these postcards. They're fascinating and the design definitely caught my interest.
I would love to see our now ex- prime Minister Jacinda Adern featured on a new series of cards. Her combination of the job of running a country combined with being a new mother is an excellent example of women's strength, determination and range of abilities.
I'd love to receive one of the 4 postcards being sent out.
I love Women in science and art series and always was very interested in amazing women, who made somethnig great for this world.
Russia has many great female scientists and female artists, who made it brighter, but I'd like to mention here soviet and Russian sculptor-monumentalist Vera Mukhina, who was nicknamed "the queen of Soviet sculpture". The most famous her work is "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" and I love to walk nearby and love energy of this sculpture, but also she made many cool things: In 1925, she received the Grand Prix at an exhibition in Paris for a collection of elegant women's clothing made of cheap coarse materials - woven cloth, calico, hats — made of matting, belts were decorated with dyed peas, and buttons were carved from wood, in 1945 she was one, who saved from dismantling Freedom Monument in Riga, made many sculptures.
She was really hard-working and lived through all difficulties and problems, and haven't stopped creative process. It's very inspiring for me.
I like these series very much! One german female artist who could be honoured would possibly be Rebecca Horn (*1944). She has made a name for herself in many fields as the first woman in the field. Among other things, as the first woman to hold a professorship at the Berlin University of the Arts or, in 1993, as the first woman to have a retrospective at the Guggenheim in New York.
I would love to receive one of the cards!
Fantastic Blog, i love illustration by Rachel, and i liked blog by Clarisse, and this blog also:)
Great work, india have many many women who lead people and others in hard times and some pioneer women who stepped foot in filed of science technology and arts.
I like Rani Lakshmibai, who fought the Britishers single handedly with her very young child held on her back!! That was really emotional and empowering chaper for women in Indian history.
Thank you so much for the giveaway:)
I would love to see a Dolly Parton postcard. Shes not only a great singer songwriter she also is a generous philanthropist - she donated 1 million dollars to coved vaccine research amongst many other charities that help people.
Great interview and great postcards. I'd suggest a series of women in politics with Angela Merkel, of course or Women in literature with Agatha Christie (I know that she is not German) ;)
Silvia
I love the postcard sets and can't wait to get another one.
I would put Brigitte de la Burde on a card. She ran a clinic that identified developmental issues with children like Aspergers and Autism. She was a pioneer in the study of lead poisoning in children and spent her life fighting to make sure the dangers of lead poisoning be recognized.
I love the Women in Science series and had not heard of the Women in Art series. I shall look for them. I love the awareness your cards bring. I've learned about so many amazing women I'd never even heard of. Thank you.
When I read the blog I immediately thought of Käthe Kollwitz as a great artist from Germany. She is not really an anrtist who makes it easy to like her works. They are often upsetting and disturbing, not nice and pleasant to look at, but they are full of power and pain, because she had to suffer a lot during her life and you really can see it in her works. A great personality, worth honouring her with a postcard (would she have liked it? I don´t know).
I have these saved on Amazon…so many pioneering women from the US it’s hard to pick just one.
I love this series, I've received a few of them because I'm a woman in tech myself! Grace Hopper is a very famous computer scientist and there's a huge women in tech conference named after her.
I received a card with her illustration, I loved knowing about the creator. I added her books to my wishlist.
Now it is very difficult to choose one among many important women in the history of Brazil. So I choose Maria da Penha.
She is a Brazilian woman who has become a symbol in the fight against domestic violence. Maria da Penha's story began in 1983, when she was the victim of an attempted feminicide by her husband. For years, she suffered physical and psychological violence, culminating in an assassination attempt in which she was shot and left paralyzed. Faced with the attacks, Maria da Penha decided to seek justice. However, the Brazilian legal system initially did not pay due attention to the case. The aggressor husband went unpunished and Maria da Penha fought for 15 years for violence against women to be recognized and fought. In 2006, the case of Maria da Penha became emblematic when the Maria da Penha Law was enacted in Brazil. This law aims to protect women from domestic and family violence, establishing preventive, protective and punitive measures against aggressors.
Thank you for your awesome work!
Dr. Eugenie Clark was a Pioneering ichthyolosist and scuba diving researcher, known as The Shark Lady. She was honored by USPS with a Forever first class postage stamp. Have a wonderful day and keep enjoying what you do!
Best wishes, Richard
I absolutely love this artist and her amazing work, I have the woman of Science postcard set, they are amazing and are always gratefully received.
Jilly B
I have really enjoyed reading this blog, and excited by the prospect of woman scientists on postcards.
I wish to nominate Sarah Lloyd, an expert in slime moulds from Tasmania. I am excited to go & hear her speak in 6 weeks or so. Slime moulds have been used in society studies - railways in Japan. really fascinating stuff - aliens of our natural world.
Fascinating to read other peoples nominations. So many amazing woman out there, doing fantastic stuff.
Thank you for sharing this! A grand read!
I would love to see a postcard featuring space scientist and science educator Maggie Aderin-Pocock. Seeing Maggie's enthusiasm on TV has inspired me to take a greater interest in all things space. Maggie is also the Chancellor of my alma mater, the University of Leicester. She is an inspiration!
What a delightful interview with a wonderfully creative person! Thank you for this. As a librarian I'm always looking for new and valuable books to recommend, so I really appreciated this. Plus, gonna go buy these gorgeous postcards now too... :-) I would love to see women jockeys on postcards: Julie Krone, Donna Barton Brothers, katie Davis McCarthy...
Wonderful interview! Thank you all for taking the time and effort to engage and share. I enjoy reading and sending the Women of Science postcards to my young nephew and niece.
I would love to see Jane Addams, an activist and a social reformer in Chicago, Illinois. She founded Hull House and is known as an early social worker.
Lovely interview! I would love to see women astronauts - Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, Bonnie Dunbar - so many!
Great article😊
I would like to nominate Sophie Scholl, since she was a woman who fought for peace in a dark time for Germany. In the end, she gave her live for what she fought for.
Thank you!
Gracia Burnham and her husband, Martin, were missionaries who were celebrating their anniversary at a resort in the Phillipines. They were kidnapped by terrorists and were held for over a year. Her husband was killed in the rescue attempt. She has an amazing story.
Amazing interview! I love these cards!
I don't know many german women except Berta Benz, who promoted one of first cars, and Angela Merkel (we all understand she is a remarkable politician no matter how we feel about her).
In my home country (Russia) I would pick, probably, writers, no matter how famous they are: Anna Akhmatova, Lidia Charskaya, Nadezhda Durova, Marina Tsvetaeva...
I always thought that these postcards were so beautifully made.
I agree with another commenter that female jazz musicians should be featured. Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, etc. Or women in music!
Love this interview! Like 'stampraider', I also posted my first received Women in Science postcard above my desk for some PhD inspiration!
Some truly great Canadians have already been named in the comments. I'll add physician Joanne Liu, for her contribution and leadership of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
Although not Canadian, I also would nominate Robin Wall Kimmer, author of 'Braiding Sweetgrass' and 'Gathering Moss', for her ability to seamlessly blend indigenous traditional knowledge and science. Such an inspiration for me!
Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Harriot Stanton Blatch (mother/daughter) were suffragettes and abolitionists from here on Long Island, NY
NY Times has been doing a series called "Overlooked," about people who deserved an obituary in that paper when they died, but for one reason or another, they didn't The most common reason seems to be the simple fact that many of the people overlooked were women. Many worthy women to choose from, but one who caught my eye was Dorothy Spencer, a film editor.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/29/obituaries/dorothy-spencer-overlooked.html?unlocked_article_code=BoCebqRjFu9gd2sLfCF9Gjf-sXi6g7Uq6Xobnn4nOaF49h90KaqAfwHjBmXge4vvPmMuiS3LtFRU0k_95GMNjHcqqONF2guJhwoi2xSD4I1tVzDneSp7VM_c4DZ_uiN0dsaOP962x3H1x3wMT95iaGE1ZWYJfpPg8T4jsB47oFTxD2h9xpG2m29mmA1VjBpkDaNP_p40qUr9pKZ1H-31CBl6kyRV_Plwd7yZ_RHApKRasgLsKdsv2JII4L90Zul01bRUNFtTOkvaLfu3ZgVdUql0IItQSNGUl9RZJvRysUCT47XB5tbiFHgQMdxulx8C1d1UBrzriHGwU_AIomvtWEElnmo-W8I&smid=url-share
Great interview.
There are many great women in India as a sports fan i would like to see Mary Kom ...
I have one of Rachel's books, and her postcards are on my wishlist. It is great reading about her process from the very start when she was learning to read herself. I would like to see Kamala Harris from the USA on a postcard. She is the first female Vice President in our nation's history. She is also someone young people look up to and old people like me appreciate.
Kamala Surayya was one of the greatest writers from Kerala. She is known by her pen name Madhavikkutty. She has written short stories, novels, memoirs and poems in Malayalam and English languages. And one of my favourite short story of her is "Neypayasam". It's a wonderful story and if you like to read it you can find an English translation online. I'd like to see her featured as an illustrated artwork on a postcard.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Surayya
Loved this article and the postcard boxes too! :)
I received one from the women in sciences boxes and just LOVED it.
A woman from Austria, I admire is the Empress Maria Theresia - she did a lot for our country, for example she made going to school compulsory for everyone , both male and female and ruled our country very well whilst having 16 (!) children!
This was a wonderful interview. I have been a huge fan of the Women in Science postcards and have received quite a few. I just discovered that there is a Women in Art series too! I haven't yet received any but look forward to beginning that collection, too!
If you ever do a Women in Music series, I would love to see Canadian Joni Mitchell in there. She is a singer, songwriter, artist and has always followed her own path in all three of those streams. Her music style is uniquely her own, and her lyrics are very visual and poetic. Think *Both Sides Now*, *The Circle Game*, *River*, to name just a few. She also overcame polio as a child.
Keep up the great work, Rachel. You, too, have created a style all your own and it is such a gift to the world.
I love your work and seems I have for ages. I remember the hot dog with the smile! Well done and keep up the good work!
Helga Tempel (* 1932 in Hamburg). Pacifist, peace activist. Together with her future husband, Konrad Tempel, in 1960 co-founder of nationwide annual marches for peace, known as "Easter March" (Ostermarsch).
Emmy Noether (1882 – 1935) is a woman little known today. She was famous in mathematics. Many know the „Noether-Theorems“ but don't know that a woman is behind it.
A Women in Music series would be so fun! Like ‘alterego’, I agree that Joni Mitchell would be a great one for this. Or Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Cree singer-songwriter, artist and activist.
What a great interview!
There are so many great women who have done amazing things.
my choice is Professor Fiona Wood.
Her greatest contribution and enduring legacy is her work pioneering the innovative ‘spray-on skin’ technique (Recell), which greatly reduces permanent scarring in burns victims.
Professor Wood patented her method in 1993 and today the technique is used worldwide.
If there is a Women in Sports set, I would like to see Kim Rhode on a postcard; a skeet and double trap shooter, she is the first woman to medal in six consecutive Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). Three of the medals were gold.
So many phenomenal women to choose from! I will nominate Samantha Smith, the young peace activist who wrote a letter to Yuri Andropov in the early 1980s expressing concern over the possibility of nuclear war between the US and Russia. She was invited to visit the Soviet Union and became a peace ambassador of sorts. She tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 13.
ta ta ta tááááá
Women in Technology is always appreciated. have you heard of Sudha Murthy she is the backbone of the Iconic company INFOSYS. her contributions to Philanthropy is another amazing angle to life.
What an excellent idea!
My suggestion would have to be Simone Veil. She was a French politician and Holocaust survivor, who served as Health Minister, and was President of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1982, the first woman to hold that office. As health minister, she is best remembered for advancing women's rights in France, in particular for the 1975 law that legalized abortion.
Thank you Clarisse! Love your creative thinking,drive and positivity! I always get excited to see a new interview is out!
I would have to say that I would like to see either Grace Murray Hopper she worked for the U.S. Navy during World War II and is considered to be one of the first computer programmers.
What a wonderful article! Many thanks for the collaboration, to share this with us. I have both of the postcard sets, and they're wonderful. I agree with including Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor under Franklin D Roosevelt. She did incredible work for our country. Grace Hopper is another good choice! She is certainly renowned in C.S. as one of the first programmers.
Australia's first and only woman prime minister, famous for her misogyny speech, is the legendary Julia Gillard. "I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man" is oft quoted by young women today, who like Ms Gillard, are fed up with being confronted by inequities in their workplace. I have the (ironic) tea towel and would love the postcard to go with it!
Tove Jansson artist , Helene Schjerfbeck artist, Tarja Halonen politician and president, Kaija Saariaho composer..
A wonderful and interesting interview! A remarkable woman from my country, I'd mention a writer and social activist Minna Canth (1844-1897) who stood out for women's rights.
I would love to see women from Indonesia
- Pratiwi Sudharmono microbiologist & astronaut candidate in 1985,
- Karlina Supelli astronom, philosopher
thanks a lot
From Slovakia (in the middle of Europe) Izabela Textorisová - first female botanist in Slovakia :)
Una entrevista muy interesante, gracias.
Una postal a la María Mestayer de Echagüe, (1877-1949). Mujer culta, valiente, que se enfrentó al machismo de la época. Escritora, gastrónoma y empresaria.
A very interesting interview, thank you.
A postcard to María Mestayer de Echagüe, (1877-1949). Educated, brave woman, who faced the machismo of the time. Writer, gastronomy and businesswoman.
Interesting reading. Thanks for the opportunity to win postcards of this series. My suggestion from Canada is: Marie Thérèse Forget Casgrain (10 July 1896 – 3 November 1981). She was a French Canadian feminist, reformer, politician and senator. She was a leader in the fight for women's right to vote in the province of Quebec, as well as the first woman to lead a political party in Canada. In her later life she opposed nuclear weapons and was a consumer activist.
An interesting interview. Thank you.
Kwa Geok Choo - The wife of Singapore's founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, the pair (along with Lee's brother) co-founded Lee & Lee, which became of one of the largest law firms in Singapore.
She was also a founding figure in the People's Action Party, and helped draft its constitution.
She made a difference to many others in her quiet unassuming ways.
Thank you for your giveaway.
I'm so excited for the rest of this interview series because it certainly started out with a bang! I've loved her illustrative work for years and it's so nice to learn more about her process. Thank you!
I'm Danish & British, so I'll go for Danish women here:
Science: Inge Lehmann - Discoverer of the Earth's Inner Core
Artist: Anna Ancher - part of the Skagen Painters group
What a delightful artist! Thank you for making art and learning so beautiful and so fun!
You are an inspiration!
I have the Women in Art set, and I love it!
I would love to see a postcard of Glennon Doyle, she is a writer and founder of the charitable organization Together Rising, they do amazing work.
I love the Women of Science and Women in Art postcards!♥
I would like to nominate Aletta Jacobs, first female Dutch student, a fighter for womens right to vote and a medical doctor. She was born in 1854 and died in 1929.
These postcards are wonderful!
I would like to nominate Dr Fiona Wood who is a pioneer in ‘spray on skin’ for burns victims. She lives in Western Australia (where I was born) and is apparently a very nice person as well as highly skilled.
Cheers,
Jennifer
I would love to see Emily Howard Stowe on a postcard. She was a Canadian physician who was the first female physician to practise in Canada, the second licensed female physician in Canada and an activist for women's rights and suffrage.
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