Womanica

Kono Yasui (1880-1971) was a Japanese biologist and cytologist who became the first Japanese woman to receive a doctoral degree in science. Her academic and scientific career defied gender norms of the time and made important advancements in genetics. For Further Reading:  How a Pioneering Botanist Broke Down Japan's Gender Barriers | Smithsonian Kono Yasui 1880-1971 japan's first woman docto...

Cubah Cornwallis (c. 1700s) was a Jamaican nurse who lived from the mid to late 18th century until 1848. Cubah was likely born into slavery, but eventually gained her freedom and settled in Port Royal, opening a lodging house that doubled as an early hospital. She was known throughout the port city for her healing techniques that nursed many naval officers back to health. Her methods drew from Obe...

Commandant Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan (1879-1967) was an acclaimed botanist who studied and published papers and textbooks on the reproduction of fungi. She also had a military career in both World Wars, and was appointed the first Chief Controller of the Auxiliary Territorial Service.  For Further Reading:  Fungi and the forces: The pioneering life of Helen Gwynne-Vaughan Helen Gwynne-Va...

Maria Tereza Jorge Pàdua (1943 - present) is a Brazilian ecologist, conservationist and biologist who is celebrated as the "Mother of Brazilian National Parks.” Maria has had a lifelong dedication to preserving the biodiversity of Brazil, and she has helped establish and manage dozens of national parks across the country. Her conservation efforts have been particularly impactful in th...

Plautilla Bricci (1616-1705) was an Italian artist and architect, regarded as one of the first female architects of modern Europe. She is best known for designing the Villa Benedetta in the 1660's as well Chapel of St. Louis in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, completed in 1677. For Further Reading: Plautilla Bricci (1616-1705): Italy's First Woman Architect - Inside The Vatican &nbsp...

Sarah Winchester (1839-1922) was a wealthy widow who spent decades of her life building a never ending house, full of countless rooms, corridors, and stairwells. The Winchester Mystery House is now a historic landmark, and can be visited in San Jose, where it is located.  For Further Reading: Sarah Winchester's Story Winchester Mystery House Is One Of America's Strangest, Most Interesting Hom...

Pravina Mehta (c.1923-1992) was an Indian architect, planner and political activist, who participated in street protests against British colonial rule. Later, she studied architecture and helped conceptualize the New Bombay plan in 1964. For Further Reading: Claiming Space/Designing Space: Women Architects in Modern India Art for a Modern India, 1947-1980 by Rebecca M. Brown This month, we're talk...

Empress Suiko (554-628) was the first reigning empress of Japan in recorded history, known for ushering in an era of peace and stability. Under her reign, some of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan were constructed. For Further Reading:  Empress Suiko of Japan The Story of Empress Suiko Asukadera, the First Full-scale Buddhist Temple in Japan This month, we're talking about Architects. Thes...

Amaza Lee Meredith (1895-1984) was an American artist and architect. She is most famous for building Azurest South, which is registered on the National Register of Historic Places and National Historic, and Azurest North, a historically African American community.  For Further Reading:  Amaza Lee Meredith Imagines Herself Modern On Long Island, a Beachfront Haven for Black Families Amaza...

Amina, Queen of Zazzau (c.1533-1610) was a Hausa leader in the city-state Zazzau (now city of Zaria in Kaduna State in Nigeria). To mark and protect her new lands, Amina had her cities surrounded by earthen walls. These walls became commonplace until the British conquest of Zazzau in 1904. Many of them survive today, known as “ganuwar Amina” (Amina's walls). For Further Reading: Zaria...

Toypurina (1760-1799) was a Tongva woman who lived in modern-day California during the period of Spanish colonial rule. She helped organize a rebellion against the San Gabriel mission. Despite the failure of this revolt, she remains an important figure in Indigenous history and is celebrated for her resistance against colonial injustice. For Further Reading: Life Story: Toypurina   Mountain F...

Patama Roonrakwit (1968-present) is a Thai architect and the founder of CASE Studio. She is known for participatory architecture that involves local communities in the design process to create sustainable and affordable living spaces. Her work emphasizes social responsibility and improving living conditions for underprivileged communities in Thailand. For Further Reading: Thai architect Patama Roo...

Jane Jacobs (1916 to 2006) was a pioneering urbanist and activist best known for her influential book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), which challenged conventional urban planning ideas by advocating for vibrant, community-centered, and pedestrian-friendly city design.  For Further Reading: On Jane Jacobs - Salmagundi Magazine Jane Jacobs's Street Smarts | The New Yorker So...

Maya Lin (1959 - present) is a sculptor, architect, artist, and designer known for her memorial work and focus on landscapes and the environment. At age 21 she designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was dedicated in 1982. Since then she has seamlessly weaved between art and architecture, producing work that has earned her both a National Medal of Arts, as well as a Presidential Medal of Fre...

Yasmeen Lari (1941-present) is Pakistan's first female architect and an influential figure in the intersection of architecture and social justice. Though she built her career designing “starchitect” buildings for oil interests and private parties in Pakistan, she shifted at the top of her game to what she calls “barefoot architecture,” focusing on the social consequences of...

Zaha Hadid (1950-2016) was an Iraqi-born British architect known for her radical deconstructivist designs. Her fantastical and fluid style challenged architectural conventions and was the source of much controversy. In 2004 she became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize and is remembered as a giant in the field for pushing boundaries in design. For Further Reading:  ...

Emily Warren Roebling (1843-1903) played a pivotal role in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. She was married to the  Chief Engineer of the bridge and took charge of his work on the project after illness prevented him from continuing in his role. When the bridge opened in May 1883, she was the first person to cross it. She went on to study law and became an advocate for women's equality...

Deborah Moody (1586-1659) moved to the New World after facing religious persecution in England. She played a major role in founding the colony Gravesend on occupied native lands. Gravesend was based on religious freedom and implemented a street grid system over a century before it was commonplace throughout New York City.  For Further Reading: The Lady of Gravesend Lady Deborah Moody, A Dange...

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897-2000) was an Austrian architect and the first woman to pursue architecture professionally in Austria. She is most famous for designing the “Frankfurt Kitchen” in 1926, a revolutionary design that influenced modern kitchen layouts by emphasizing efficiency and ergonomics. Beyond architecture, Schutte-Lihotzky was politically active, joining the anti-Naz...

Norma Merrick Sklarek (1926-2012) was an African American architect. Known as the "Rosa Parks of Architecture," she fought for her buildings and was a pioneering African American female architect in the field.  For Further Reading: Norma Merrick Sklarek How Norma Merrick Sklarek Paved the Way for Black Women Architects Pioneering African American Architect was 85 This month, we're talking abo...

Julia Morgan (1872-1957) was an American architect based in the San Francisco area. She designed, rebuilt, and remodeled hundreds of buildings, most famously the Fairmont Hotel and the Hearst Castle. She was the first woman to gain an architecture license in California and posthumously won the AIA Gold Metal from the American Institute of Architects.  For Further Reading:  Julia Morgan:...

Shirley Jackson (1946-present) is an accomplished American physicist and mathematician who dedicated her career to studying the particles that make up our universe and to improving and supporting the diversity of people studying and dedicating themselves to the sciences. For Further Reading: Jackson, Shirley Ann | Women of the Hall The Remarkable Career of Shirley Ann Jackson | MIT Technology Revi...

Suzette Haden Elgin (1936-2015) was a writer and linguist who constructed a whole language called Láadan for her beloved Native Tongue series. In the series, women resist their oppressive patriarchal society through a language of their own creation that helps them better express their realities. For Further Reading: Suzette Haden Elgin (1936–2015) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas In her 198...

Sara Josephine Baker (1873-1945) was a doctor specializing in public health who revolutionized preventative measures for mothers and infants in the early 20th century. In an era when typhoid, dysentery, and smallpox ravaged New York City's impoverished tenement populations, she is estimated to have saved the lives of roughly 90,000 children through her work.  For Further Reading:   Baker...

Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares (1910-1967), often remembered simply as Lota, was a Brazilian designer and urban planner. She is best known for transforming Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo Park into a harmonious blend of nature and modernity, crafting one of the world's largest urban parks.  For Further Reading: Architectural Review: Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares (1910-1967) Sou...