Published byÉditions de La Martinière, this book brings together a wide range of writings by women artists—letters, diaries, memoirs, interviews, manifestos, and theoretical essays. It features the voices of forty women active in a vibrant, cosmopolitan Paris from the Belle Époque to the eve of the Second World War, both famous and little-known, from Berthe Morisot and Camille Claudel to Sarah Bernhardt, Nina Hamnett, and Amrita Sher-Gil. Organized around the key stages of an artistic career—training, perseverance, self-organization, and self-assertion—the book sheds light on their individual paths, shaped by ambition, desire, struggle, hardship, and success. The texts were compiled and introduced by Lucia Pesapane and Delphine Wanes. The publication was overseen by Camille Morineau,AWARE, and Mathilde de Croix. The titles of this book, designed by the French graphic designerLisa Sturacci, are set inLouize Display Cond(Matthieu Cortat,205TF), while the body text is set inMartina Plantijn(Kris Sowersby,Klim Type Foundry).
This typography system embodies scholarly-feminine authority with a distinctly French intellectual sensibility. The condensed display face creates urgent, proclamatory energy befitting manifestos and declarations, while the classical text typeface grounds the work in literary tradition and academic rigor.
Louize Display's condensed proportions and sharp, modernist geometry echo the compressed urgency of the Belle Époque period while maximizing impact in tight layouts. Martina Plantijn's generous x-height and refined stroke contrast provide exceptional readability for dense academic text while maintaining the sophisticated, European book typography tradition essential for this scholarly anthology.
The pairing creates productive tension between proclamation and contemplation—the condensed display demands attention like a feminist manifesto, while the classical text invites sustained reading and reflection. This hierarchy mirrors the book's structure: bold chapter declarations followed by intimate, personal writings.