I was very excited when historian Dr Clare Siviter got in touch to ask me to live illustrate her Inspiring Women talk hosted by Bristol Women’s Voice. As part of her research in French theatre, Clare focused on three historical examples of actresses and working mothers - Louise Contat (1760-1830), Joséphine Duchesnois (1777-1830) and the mother of Mademoiselle George (1787-1867). She used their stories to reflect on the struggles working mothers face today and what we can do about it.
One key fact that made me snort out loud (especially as a French mother myself that keeps hearing about how Frnace is “better” than England for working parents) was that my France-based friends currently have less paid mat leave than an actress in 1803. Yep. You’ve read that right. Luckily I was able to comfort myself by drawing 19th century dresses. Let’s remember how much history, sometimes, can be ahead of us.