The Women Behind the Lens

This exhibition provides us with an opportunity to discuss the place of women in society in the early years of the last century: not only through the work of these pioneers but also through the lives they lived. In this talk we will examine the various barriers to equal opportunities faced by women in this period of history. We will look at how these photographers and filmmakers portrayed women’s lives in their work and discuss how they defied many of the conventions of the time in their personal lives. Linda McDonald is a former teacher and a member of the Edinburgh Living History Group a group of costumed performers who regularly interpret the history of Edinburgh over our museum estate. Linda has taken part in presentations about the Women’s Suffrage movement in Edinburgh and is fascinated by the lives of the real women behind the campaign. Linda has a particular interest in women’s history.