Women Artists and Scientists in Two Contemporary Period Films

Dealing with Erased Histories

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34024/wgkhgs34

Keywords:

Women's history, cinema and other arts, women in science, period film

Abstract

Taking the period films Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Céline Sciamma, 2019) and Ammonite (Francis Lee, 2020), the article examines how contemporary cinema brings stories of female artists and scientists from the past (portrait painters in the late 18th century; Mary Anning, a British paleontologist from the early 19th century; and, more subtly, the composer Clara Schumann), known in their own fields of History of Sciences, of Painting, and of Music, to a wider audience. These are women who have been erased from official canonical history, but who enjoyed in their time public recognition, albeit ambiguous, as dramatized in these films. Particular attention is given to sequences depicting the materiality of the painting process and the work with fossils, as well as musical performances. It is to note that in Ammonite, Mary Anning's figure and social class are emphasized to the detriment of Charlotte Murchison's recognition as a geologist.

Author Biography

  • Luíza Alvim, Universidade de São Paulo

    Doutora em Comunicação e Cultura pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) e em Música pela Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Pós-doutora em Música pela UFRJ. Pós-doutoranda na Escola de Comunicações e Artes da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), com bolsa CNPq.

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Published

2026-09-22

Data Availability Statement

 

 

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2026): More Women in Images

Section

Thematic Dossier

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Copyright (c) 2026 Luíza Alvim

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How to Cite

Alvim, L. (2026). Women Artists and Scientists in Two Contemporary Period Films: Dealing with Erased Histories. Imagem: Revista De História Da Arte, 8(1), e22706. https://doi.org/10.34024/wgkhgs34
Received 2026-07-20
Accepted 2026-09-12
Published 2026-09-22