Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace is the only legitimate child of Lord Byron.  Her parents separated when she was a baby.  Her mother wanted Ada to turn out nothing like her poet father so she encouraged her daughter to study mathematics and science.   Her mother was given the nickname "The Princess of Parallelograms".  Ada was eventually given the nickname "The Enchantress of Numbers".  Ada eventually met Charles Babbage who was working on his Analytical Engine which was an early computer.  Ada was commissioned by Babbage to do some translation.  She took notes, which ended up being longer than the document she was translating for Babbage.  This Note G is believed to be the first computer program.  She suggested that the machine could one day do more than just calculate numbers but do other tasks as well, like compose music.  This all happened in the early 1800's.

In this piece, I created Ada our of all the mathematics of Note G.

Goodies:
Gal's Guide to the Galaxy has many goodies on Ada at https://galsguide.org/2017/07/21/ada-lovelace-your-gal-friday/

Stuff You Missed in History Podcast: https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/who-was-the-enchantress-of-numbers.htm

I recently discovered this adorable steam punk historical fiction comic by Sydeny Paudua. http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/

Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull

Victoria Woodhull is best known for being the first woman to officially run for President of the United States in 1872, but the rest of her life was pretty interesting too. 

• When she was young, her father made Victoria and her sister Tennessee work as spiritual mediums.  Spiritualism was pretty big back then.  

• When she was 15 she married a doctor.  Which, besides being too young, would sound great.  However, her husband was an alcoholic, often too drunk to work. She divorced him. 

• She was a supporter of Free Love, which sounds like something out of the hippie era. There was a social sigma attached to women who got divorced, but not on men to have mistresses. That comes up again later.

• She was a suffragist.  She believed that woman already had the right to vote under the constitution.  All people born in the United States were citizens, and every citizen had the right to vote. The other suffragists didn't seem to care for her much.  They liked her ideals, perhaps it was her personality?

• She was the first woman to address congress. 

• Victoria and her sister are considered the first women stockbrokers.  They made friends with Cornelius Vanderbilt and he taught them about the stock exchange.

• The sisters then used some of that money to start their own newspaper.  It was in this paper that she announced her candidacy for President of the United States.  She ran under the Equal Rights Party and named Fredric Douglass as her running mate, though he never accepted. She also published a story about a rival minister who didn't like her Free Love ideals.  He was committing adultery, which was a thing you went on trial for back in those days. She and her sister were arrested for publishing the "obscene" story in the paper, this was the Comstock Law era.  She spent election day in jail. 

Podcasts:
The History Chicks: http://thehistorychicks.com/episode-76-victoria-woodhull/
Stuff You Missed in History Class: https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/little-queen-for-president.htm

There may be a movie coming out in 2019 on Victoria Woohull which is very exciting. 

Women's History Month

It's my favorite time of year, Women's History Month!  Every day in March I will tell you about the amazing women that I have featured in my artwork.  Every time I display my work I always include a short paragraph about each woman. Every day this month I will have even more information about each woman and some goodies like links to some great podcasts or books. Which women do you want to hear about first?  As always, if you have a particular woman you'd like to see me paint let me know.

Book Recomendations

I got through quite a few books last year and they were fantastic.  I thought I would share them with you since it's the season for hibernating under blankets with a good book.

I am Malala 

Yes, the book covers the shooting and so much more.   She talks about how her parents met, her relationships with her brothers, the origins of her name, the struggles of her father's school, the arrival of the Taliban to the Swat valley, her secret writings for a British blog. I hope that one day she can return to the Swat valley that she so beautifully describes. 

My own Words 

While reading this book I was wishing I had gone into law.  I envy anyone who was lucky enough to have Ruth for a law professor.  This book goes over times in her life as well as many cases that she has been a part of.  

Founding Mothers

This book goes into all the women how had a hand in forming our county.  It is where I found that wonderful quote from Abigail Addams.  

Capital Dames

This book covers women around the time of the civil war; women like Mary Todd Lincoln, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, and Clara Barton.

Wonder Women

This is the book I am currently reading and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  Not only is it super informative, its hilarious.  One of my favorite lines so far has been: "If you love science and equality but hate leprosy (and who doesn't?), Alice Ball is 100 percent your kind of gal." The author mentions serval times that the running theme in the book will be men taking credit for women's accomplishments, women underestimated, etc.  Which is infuriating, depressing, and all the other emotions.  However the stories are told in such a lighthearted manor that you want to go play with a chemistry set instead of just giving the evil eye to all the men in your life.

Many of these books I borrow from my local library with an app called Overdrive.  It allows you to check out e-books, audiobooks, and more.  I just watched a really good documentary on Dolley Madison the other day through it. I'll do another post soon about some other great media I consumed last year.

Holiday Shipping   Today is the day!  You have until midnight tonight to place your orders for holiday gifts.  This will assure that you gifts will arrive on time. If you live in the Indianapolis area and would like to arrange a pickup of your items please contact me.  Visit my Etsy shop to finish up (or start) your holiday shopping.

New Prints

New items added to my Etsy shop

Women's March 
 

I've had quite a few requests for prints of my Women's March piece.  I created this piece as part of my "Thats What She Said" series taking my inspiration from the Women's Marches around the world on January 21st, 2017.  

New Postcards
 

I've also added quite a few new postcards from my "Thats What She Said" series.  These postcards with quotes from amazing women throughout history are perfect for gifts, to frame, put on your fridge, on your desk, or even to mail your representatives.


 

Holiday Shipping
 

Please keep shipping dates in mind for holiday gifts.  For Christmas orders needs to be placed by December 18th in order to arrive on time.  Place your orders now for Hanukkah. Happy holidays and happy new year.

Stutz Starry Night

Stutz Starry Night - Friday, December 1st
5PM to 10PM
 

I will have my studio open at the historic Stutz Business and Art Center on Friday, December 1st from 5-10PM.  More than 40 artists will have their studios full of amazing work. Many of the artists will be participating in a door decoration contest so make sure to vote for your favorite. There will also be food vendors and music throughout the building. Maps will be given out at the entrance so you don’t get lost.  Best of all, parking and admission are free. More information about this festive event can be found at www.stutzartists.com.

This year I started a series titled: “That’s What She Said”. In this series I created little artworks featuring quotes from women throughout history. Some of the women I have been inspired by are Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, Margaret Mead, and Julia Gillard.  I have also continued my work on paintings of amazing women such as Rosalind Franklin who discovered the double helix structure of DNA using a process called x-ray crystallography.  My most popular piece this year has been my “Nevertheless She Persisted” ladies.  The limited edition prints of these persistent ladies are finding homes quickly, so be sure to pick a few up before they are gone.


Be sure to follow me on social media to get a behind the scenes look at my work. Don’t forget to support your local businesses when shopping this holiday season and also that original artwork makes a great gift.