Thank you to all who shared with me their favourite women of the steppes following last week's Fem Fri. I now have enough #content to do an entire other newsletter on that topic and you better believe I already have the subject line written.
Moving on to this week, though, there are lots of trees outside of my home and one of the chief joys in this is watching all of the birds who hang out in the trees. Of the many flighty friends I have, let's take today to recognise the noisy iridescent wonder that is the magpie.
We're going to start with an explanation of what sort of magpie I mean, because you might be thinking, why are these horrible birds getting a Fem Fri? I mean the left column magpies, thank you Elodie Glass for the clarification:
Did you know also that magpies are associated with love in China? Here's a delightful story from Chinese mythology about magpies helping a woman by making a bridge across a river to her husband and family. It's based on the stars you might know as Vega and Altair:
Niulang (牛郎, Altair) and his two children (β Aquilae and γ Aquilae) are separated from their mother Zhinü (織女, Vega) who is on the far side of the river, the Milky Way. However, one day per year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, magpies make a bridge so that Niulang and Zhinü can be together again for a brief encounter.
It's not only fictional women that magpies help, though. Here's a story about Sam Bloom, who following a spinal injury rescued a baby magpie who subsequently became a friend – if a pecky little friend – to the whole family:
"She was pretty much on my lap or on my shoulder from the moment we brought her home. She was just company and she'd make us laugh. […] I would talk to her, I'd whinge, tell her how I was. I don't think Cam wanted to hear it any more. Penguin knows it all."
Sometimes I read things in magazines that are not at all about feminism and receive a beautiful, unexpected feminist gift, this happened to me this week so please enjoy finding out with me about the female warriors of the Uzbekhi and Kazakh steppes.
Here's how it started – with Saodat Ismailova's musical performace based on the legend of the Gulaim and the Forty Girls (Qyrq Qyz, a phrase I have typed many times now and never right first time):
Enduring for centuries in a male-dominated epic tradition, this powerful matriarchal narrative comes to full-throated life in the Aga Khan Music Initiative’s multi-disciplinary retelling, conceived and directed by internationally acclaimed Uzbek filmmaker and artist Saodat Ismailova. As the next generation of Turkic female bards sing Gulaim’s legend—accompanying themselves on dutar (two-stringed lute), kyl-kiyak (two-stringed bowl fiddle), and jaw harp—Ismailova’s mesmerising film, scored by acclaimed Tashkent-based composer Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, weaves an emotional tapestry of legendary female power.
Let me know if there is a performance of this near you and you get to see it, it looks brilliant. Great to be using the traditional instruments as well.
Turns out that as well as being an epic poem in an oral tradition (found absolutely nowhere in English, I am sorry guys, I have looked) it's also true or at least truth-adjacent:
Adrienne Mayor, a scholar at Stanford University and author of “Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World,” [said that] the “Forty Girls” epic is rooted to a large extent in historical fact, with some scholars relating their exploits to accounts of female warriors that appear in ancient biographies of Alexander the Great. “Scholars believe that the events in the ‘Forty Girls’ epic are historically and culturally plausible,” she said.
And guess what, it's not just folklorists who say so! Here's an archaeological discovery of a steppes warrior woman:
In the burial found in the Central Asian republic, archeologists also found a huge sword and dagger, still clasped by the bony hands of the warrior woman. That the two weapons were found in the skeletal hands has led researchers to theorize that the woman was buried with military honors.
It's spring! Between the flowers and the rain, the outdoors is smelling great all the time. Here's a Fem Fri about women using their sense of smell for a very wide range of purposes, starting with amazing scientific breakthroughs.
You might have seen our first story before, but let's sit with it a bit longer – a normal woman found out that she could smell the onset of Parkinson's, and her collaboration with researchers opens the possibility of early diagnosis and the better treatment that comes with that. I really like how everyday this story starts and how that led to something bigger:
while attending Parkinson’s support groups, Mrs Milne noted something extraordinary. Everyone with the disease had the same distinctive odour that her husband had developed in 1974. It was shortly after that realisation that she started collaborating with researchers.
Secondly, here's a woman who uses her sense of smell for fun – enjoy this interview with Heather Greene, whisky sommelier! Here she is talking about Brenne, her favourite whisky:
What surprises me is the real expression of strong, forward amyl acetate – the molecular compound that comes out of it – it’s fruity, elegant, something that sits somewhere between Cognac and Scotch that is really unique. […] I like it for its difference, its boldness. She’s brave to bring something like that to market.
Finally, perfume! It's something that I think I should know about, and I don't, so a friend and subscriber recommended The Dry Down. I didn't engage with it until they did a newsletter on how to smell like an imperious duchess and/or 80s power business lady; the answer is aldehydes and I ordered several samples. Have a pullquote on the origins of Chanel No 5:
The original perfumer, Ernest Beaux, said that he wanted to make the scent smell like winter, the way snow isolates and amplifies other outdoor smells but also seems to clean them, as if their rawness is embarrassing. What he really meant was: I want this to smell like money. Like always feeling warm. Aware of the cold, and impervious. Beyond crisp, to the place where crisp turns erotic. So, if that’s your thing, here it is.
I had today's Fem Friday totally written in my mind, and was quite happy with it, then I saw this photo of Katie Bouman and everything changed:
This is what it looks like, when you are a woman who is the reason we have a photograph of a black hole. I can't stop looking at it. Would that we all experience this purity of joy at least once in our lives. Thank you Katie Bouman, you are also the reason today's Fem Fri is about women and colour. Here, to kick us off, is more info on how to take a photo of a black hole:
No single telescope is powerful enough to capture the black hole, so a network of eight was set up to so do using a technique called interferometry. […] Dr Bouman's method of processing this raw data was said to be instrumental in the creation of the striking image. She spearheaded a testing process whereby multiple algorithms with "different assumptions built into them" attempted to recover a photo from the data.
Here's another woman who works with colour and immaterial things – it's Ann Veronica Janssens, light artist. I always love to see her work when it's in London, and I am sure that you will enjoy this long and detailed video interview with her. It's fully subtitled too, so you can put it at 2x on your second screen while you work, if that's something you're into. Or put it on a huge screen and just mellow right out. Ann Veronica Janssens!
Finally, fashion. I had a lovely half an hour looking at images of Victorian dresses made astonishingly bright by the then new and exciting technology of aniline dyes. That's a fun thing to do and here's a great place to start – a series of posts on colour in Victorian women's fashion. Just look at this jacket:
[R]ed was also symbolic of war, pomp, and power. As such, the color was particularly well suited for those garments designed with a militaristic flair. Red dresses trimmed with military-style buttons or black or gold military braid were considered very fashionable.
Here's something you might not know about me – I am not very good at remembering the differences between Marshall McLuhan, Malcolm McLaren and Malcolm McDowell. It's not very often that this comes up, of course, but the way that it might work is someone might say, "hey I was in the Delauny yesterday and I saw Malcolm McDowell!" and I would say "ah, yes, wonderful! the global village!" and they would look at me askance. Anyway, this week I decided to fix that and write a little rhyme so I never forget again. I was so pleased with it that I share it here in case you have the same problem. I know this is not so much feminism exactly as not being able to tell the difference between men, but you have to admit, this is pretty useful:
"The medium is the message", in 1964
Was H. Marshall McLuhan, from Canada's far shore*
Or if you love art school, punk rock and fashion
So did Malcolm McLaren – and he could cash in
Malcolm McDowell, Yorkshireman and performer
Played Alex DeLarge in the film with eye trauma
Remember this rhyme, you'll remember these men
And never confuse your M-Macs again!
This of course made me think about other women who write comic verse, and I landed quite naturally on Sandra Boynton, author Hippos Go Berserk, of one of my books of 2017. Here's an interview about her book Amazing Cows – if you click through on the link you can also enjoy her charmingly Geocities website:
Also obviously Dorothy Parker! No one knew their way around a comic verse like Parker. Here's a serious article about some not serious poems – I am not entirely in the headspace for serious chats about literature right now so my pullquote is just going to be one of her poems referenced in the article:
I hope that you are well and that my northern hemisphere subscribers are enjoying the intimations of spring we've been getting these last few days. I personally am delighted, I left work when it was light several times this week and even saw a bee enjoying some flowers this morning. Obviously this means I want to be outdoors all the time, so here's a Fem Fri about women enjoying the outdoors.
Firstly, climbing is a particularly visceral way of enjoying the outdoors, and here is an article about some Edinburgh women who set up a climbing club at the turn of the last century:
To qualify, women had to ascend four peaks of at least 3,000 feet with two snow climbs and two rock climbs. To be decent, they would start their climbs in their restrictive, long skirts. However, when no men were around they would often discard these to climb in knickerbockers: knee length trousers that could be hidden under dresses. The club were extremely ambitious, and would take on bold climbs of mountains such as the Beuckle (Buachaille Etive Mòr) and Suilven, ascents that still challenge modern climbers with all the latest gear.
Of course climbing is still a great thing to do in Scotland, and the munroes offer you a way to combine climbing, walking, and ticking wee boxes. What more could you want. Meet Hazel Strachen, whose answer to that question is "nothing" and who has completed every munro in Scotland ten times as of October last year:
“There will be an 11th round of Munroes. There are still lots of routes which I would like to climb in different weathers and seasons. I’m glad I didn’t stop at just one round, I’ve had the time of my life.” She fits her hobby around a full-time job as a scientist with the Scottish Government and once bagged 14 Munros in a single day in June last year.
Let it never be said that I forget my southern hemisphere friends, who will be heading into autumn now. Here's what's cool, winter can be a good time to be outdoors too! Check out these women ICE CLIMBERS for inspiration, you don't even need to wear knickerbockers any more:
In the years from 1992 to 1997, French alpinist Chantal Maudit (1964-1998) climbed six 8,000 meter peaks, alpine style and without supplemental oxygen. Some of her most notable achievements included K2 by the Abruzzi ridge, and her solo ascents of Lhotse (8,516 m) and Manaslu (8,163 m), made just fifteen days apart. Her book, “J’habite au Paradis” (“I Live in Paradise”), accurately sums up the spirit with which she took on her projects.
How is it going? Hope everything is great with you and you are looking forward to a newsletter of maths.
Because, HUGE MATHS NEWS: Karen Uhlenbeck has won the Abel Prize, one of the it seems several prizes with a claim on "the Nobel Prize of Maths" and she is the first woman to do so. She's produced "some of the most dramatic advances in mathematics in the last 40 years". And I love the way mathematicians talk about what they do:
“All in all, I have found great delight and pleasure in the pursuit of mathematics […] Along the way I have made great friends and worked with a number of creative and interesting people. I have been saved from boredom, dourness, and self-absorption. One cannot ask for more.”
Next, we all talk a big game about the area of circles, but who among us are actually doing anything about it? Emma Haruka Iwao, that's who, she has calculated pi to 31trn digits (a world record number of digits). Here's a faq that Emma did on her twitter, which is short but answers my two main questions:
The 34-year-old software engineer explained that she has been intrigued by pi […] from the age of 12, when she downloaded a program to calculate the figure on her computer. “My computer wasn’t very powerful back then, so I didn’t get far,” added Iwao, “which is why [my] accomplishment is so exciting—it’s been a long time coming.”
Finally, you guys I almost NEVER rep Ted talks, and there is a reason for that, but here's a charming seventeen minutes from mathematician Hannah Fry. And it's about love! You'll enjoy this I am quite sure:
Thank you Margo for the stellar guest editorship last week! I too was surprised by how long it took for a sports bra to be invented.
I'm sure you're excited to hear how skiing went for me, and I'm excited to tell you.
Firstly, the hanging out was – as I thought it might have been – pretty pretty excellent. Obviously it helps to have a great team on it (which I did), but I mean, I danced to both Sexyback and Lose Yourself in the same 72h period. It's not often you get an opportunity like that in the modern age! Please consider attending a work ski trip if, like me, you want to yell "This! Is like! Ibiza! But! For! Gryffindors!" at your boss at 2am.
PAR CONTRE. Know, that if you have not skied before, 36h later you will (again, like me) be yelling "Why! Am I! So! Shit at this!" at the sky while lying on your back in the snow (it is cold) with no actual clear plan for how to stand up other than a vague sense that your COO can probably deadlift you if needed.*
Those are some things to bear in mind. Do let me know if you have any further questions.
Time for links now. They are all going to be about quite gentle and relaxing things as that is what I need after last weekend.
Firstly, tea! Isn't tea nice, both the drink and the ritual. Here's a feminist history of tea rooms. The pull quote makes them sound sort of like the "gig economy" of their generation, there's loads of good stuff in the article as well:
In the early 1900s, tea rooms were the answer for single women who wanted some sort of career. They were well suited to widows or wives hoping to supplement family income, or teachers who wanted to continue working during the summer (many of them set up shop for only a few months in fashionable vacation spots).
Now time for some ART. Berthe Morisot was one of the original impressionists, and the only woman original impressionist, let's enjoy this self portrait together:
This is also a good book review and primer on her life. I really like how at the start of her career she used the access she had, as a woman, to hobbies and friends, to build a serious career:
'Berthe had taken the first step in a career pattern,' Ms. Higonnet notes, 'and she would under cover of family sociability continue cultivating professionals whose work she admired.' Morisot's 'cover' was, however, natural to her placement in life, so natural that she seems in no way ever to have compromised her integrity. Rather, her seriousness of purpose attracted serious support. Every photograph and every portrait of Morisot declares her intention to be true to herself.
Finally, more pastels, this time musical rather than literal. I cannot stop listening to the The Japanese House album, am in fact listening to it now. Here's a highlight, but I strongly encourage you to listen to the whole thing six or seven times over the weekend:
Good morning! This Friday I'm taking over the wheel of #FemFri as our Captain is off cutting a dash on the slopes. I'm Margo, I have a newsletter called Three Weeks, I often wear clothes, and I like finding out about problems being solved. So today I have three stories for you about inventive women who made awesome wearable things.
First, if you have seen Kate Beaton's velocipedestrienne comics and wanted to bite some of that style, Kat Jungnickel has got your back. Her research project Bikes and Bloomers has collected the clothes patterns that Victorian women created to make cycling safer for themselves. In 1895 Brixton dressmaker Alice Bygraves patented an "convertible skirt" which saved the rider from getting fabric caught in the spokes.
If you make one of these (I think a geometric print would be just darling) please send pics.
Another woman interested in creating something that would let her move more freely was Lisa Lindahl. Lindahl got together theatrical costumers Polly Smith and Hinda Schreiber Miller to help make a "jockstrap for women" because she was a frustrated runner and there were no supportive bras on the market. In fact, before Lindahl and Miller's Jogbra went on the market in 1977, there was no such thing as a sports bra at all. That's right, 1977. If you're keeping notes the first modern bikini design was created in 1946.
Altina Schinasi's most well-known creation wasn't designed for fitness, practicality, or ease of movement. As a window dresser on Fifth Avenue she collaborated with Salvador Dalí and studied painting with George Grosz. She'd go on to direct and produce a 1960 Oscar-nominated documentary on Grosz during her California years working as an artist. But it was back in New York in the '30s when she was struck by the drab eyeglasses she saw women wearing: "Surely, there must be some way to design eyeglasses that could be attractive! What looks good on a face? What adds to a face? What could a woman wear on her face that would be romantic?"
Her inspiration was the Harlequin or 'cat's eye' frame, the first commercial glasses frame that was considered a fashion accessory.
And to celebrate this #FemFri, here is Catwoman and general heroine Eartha Kitt in some Altina-worthy specs. Our other all purpose heroine Alex will be back next week with something as undoubtedly fabulous as Ms. Kitt.
Many thanks to everyone who emailed or messaged last week with expressions of gentle concern that my joining a work ski trip means that I’ve also joined the Tory party or landed aristocracy. As it happens I do think the free market would take care of a lot of your concerns about the deregulation of the badger baiting industry!* Thanks for asking.
Next week I actually am away skiing and the stylish and haunting Saxey will be your editor! I hope you are looking forward to this as much as I am. March 8th will be both Feminist Friday and International Women's Day, in a sort of "supermoon" event.
Today's Fem Fri is about the women of cartography. Side note: there are lots of articles with "top tens" of women mapmakers, but very little in terms of detail on the individual women. If you know of or have written great pieces on women cartographers, let me know! I am by no means done with this topic. Here is such an overview for you to enjoy, and a nice engraved map by Marie Catherine Haussard:
In the 1970s, early in her career as map librarian at the New York Public Library, Alice Hudson started researching women mapmakers throughout history. With few other women in her chosen field, she wondered how many had come before her. “I thought I might find 10,” [… b]ut over the years, as she combed through maps, censuses, newspapers, and tips from colleagues, she was amazed by how many women there were in the early days of mapmaking. By the late ‘90s, she’d found over a thousand names of women who had drawn, published, printed, engraved, sold, or traded maps prior to 1900 alone.
Here's a favourite woman mapmaker of mine not mentioned in that article – it's social reformer Florence Kelley, whose prodigious output included "wage maps" of Chicago, like the "poverty maps" of London. They are also beautiful:
A prolific translator and writer of books, journal articles, and pamphlets, her best known work today is Hull House Maps and Papers, published in 1895, and still a classic of sociology and ethnography, and includes spectacular wage and ethnicity maps. [..] A life long advocate for the education for women, for improving working conditions for women and against the exploitation of child workers, Florence Kelley was the daughter of a well known Pennsylvania Congressman and judge, William Darrah Kelley. She grew up in a family of Philadelphia Quakers with long standing commitments to the abolition of slavery, universal suffrage and the education and literacy of women.
Finally, here are some maps you would not use on a trip to a city – or to bring social change to that city – but would instead put on your walls and gaze at with joy. I've loved Karen O'Leary's map cuts for almost a decade now, here's how she got started:
My first hand cut map was created during my 5th year architecture thesis as a site map. After college, I was working as a Project Architect in NYC and created a 6 foot x 8 foot piece for myself. It took me 9 months to complete. Once I finished it, I didn’t have the resources to frame it or a place to hang it. I held onto it for a few years and then I eventually put it up on Etsy in 2009, not even knowing what Etsy really was.
If you make one of these (I think a geometric print would be just darling) please send pics. 
