I had a bit of a gap between jobs – my publishing work – so I decided to take advantage of having some free time to head into London and go to an art gallery. One of my favourite things to do! There are a few things on at the moment I’d like to see, but I chose to go to Tate Britain for the NOW YOU SEE US – Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920 exhibition.

The exhibition celebrates over a hundred women artists who made a livelihood from their art rather than it just being seen as an accomplishment. This is quite an interesting concept given the artists go back as far as the 16th century, to the time of the Tudors. I’m more familiar with the struggles of later women artists to not only receive recognition for their work but even to be allowed to attend art classes and join institutions like the Royal Academy of Art. It turns out that things got worse for some time after the success of these early artists and one has to jump into the 20th century to see women being accepted on equal terms as men.

There were prejudiced ideas about what were appropriate subjects for women artists – no life drawing and nudes, just flowers! It was often thought that women artists were incapable of creativity – they could only imitate. And they certainly shouldn’t make money from art; it should be merely a feminine pastime. Tate Britain’s exhibition is about giving women artists their rightful pace in history – hence the title: Now You See Us.

Of course, being Travel Gourmet, food and, in the morning, coffee has to come into any excursion, so I timed my arrival to fit with a morning coffee before looking at the exhibition. As a Tate Member, I headed up the attractive winding staircase that leads to the Members’ Room. It’s a beautiful, light space and a great place to sit and relax.

I ordered a Flat White and decided to have a Pastel de Nata with it. I’d arrived not long after they opened at 10am so it was quiet and a nice calm way to start my day.

I then headed down to the exhibition. I can’t show photos of the works because of copyright rules, but there’s interesting information to share (I’ve used the notes displayed alongside the exhibits as a reference here).

The exhibition is set out chronologically and thus begins with ‘Women at Tudor Courts’. We learn about Susanna Horenbout (1503-1554) and Levina Teerlinc (c.1510s-1576) who were the earliest women in Britain to be named as artists. Most of us will be familiar with Henry VIII because of his six wives, but I also knew he was a keen supporter of the arts. Even so, it was a pleasant surprise to read that he awarded Teerlinc an annual pension of £40 to be a court artist, which was a huge amount in those days, and the exhibition shows some of her works (mostly lent by present King).

Into the 17th century we find the work of Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian artist who arrived in London in about 1638 at the invitation of Charles I. She had a number of prestigious patrons across Europe. She was a professional artist who ran her own studio, was the first woman to become a member of the Florence Academy of Fine Art and was ranked as serious an artist as contemporary men artists. There was an exhibition of her work at the National Gallery last year and I wish I’d gone to it.

The 17th century saw other women artists working as professionals, but it was very rare. It wasn’t considered suitable for women. Mary Beale (1633-1699), however, was supported by her husband who kept a record of her works and her sons acted as studio assistants. Into the 18th century we see Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser being the first women to be accepted as members of the Royal Academy, which was founded in 1768 – though not full members. It would be another 150 years before another woman would be elected to membership. By the mid to late 19th century artists like Emily Osburn were dramatising the difficulties of women artists selling their works in paintings like Nameless and Friendless, shown in the exhibition.

Watercolour was seen as an appropriate medium for women artists but against expectations, many achieved significant commercial and critical success. The 19th century also saw the arrival of photographic art and the success of women like Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879) who became one of the most important portraitists of her time. 

Women continued to fight for equal opportunity with men and it wasn’t until 1871, with the founding of the Slade School of Fine Art, that women were offered an education equal to that of men. Into the 20th century the First World War brought rapid change to women’s place in society, heralding a greater acceptance of women artists and the exhibition ends with some works by famous women artists like Vanessa Bell and Gwen John … but true recognition still took time.

I loved the exhibition and am so glad I went. I took a little time after to see a few others works in the gallery before making my way back to the Members’ Cafe for some lunch before heading home.

I chose a quiche with salads (£15.95) as I prefer something fairly light at lunchtime. To be honest, it was okay but not great: the quiche was too heavy rather than light and creamy; the salads a bit soggy. I enjoyed another coffee with it and it came free as I bought some coffee beans to take home …

I noticed in the morning that they sold bags of coffee beans which are roasted on-site. I checked when they’d been roasted: 30 July. So very new. My son is a keen coffee drinker, grinding beans fresh for every coffee he makes, so I sent him a photo of the choices and then bought the one he wanted when I went back for lunch. This morning I was with him as he opened the pack and ground some beans. Happily they met with his approval and he said the coffee was very good.

After a happy morning of art, I headed back to Vauxhall Station and home. It was a good outing and I’m so pleased to have learnt more about early women artists and how after Teerlinc’s success and recognition in the 16th century, women artists were mainly hidden and erased from history until the 20th century.