Women's History Month: Artists

Lucille Ball

By Natasha Burton

I Love Lucy’s leading lady paved the way for women to be quirky, silly and, most importantly, more dynamic than just being easy on the eyes (though Lucy was certainly not short on beauty).

Mabel Normand

Before Lucy came this pioneer of comedy, who was one of the first female comedians of silent film. But not only did she star in movies with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle, she was also one of the first female screenwriters, producers and directors.

Dolly Parton

As the reigning queen of country music, Dolly is an American icon as well as one of the most successful female artists in the history of her musical genre. Her over-the-top hair styling and outfits only serve to enhance her unapologetic attitude of being true to herself.

Josephine Baker

This American-born French entertainer was a street performer before being recruited to join a vaudeville show in her hometown of St. Louis. She later became the first African-American actress to star in a motion picture.

Coco Chanel

This French designer’s influence on fashion was significant, to say the least. After learning to sew from a relative’s instructions and starting a career as a hat designer, she evolved into developing her more modern take on fashion, which included taking a simplistic yet ever-elegant approach to clothing.

Sofonisba Anguissola

As the first female Renaissance painter to get recognition for her work, this artist was lucky enough to study under the tutelage of the great Michelangelo, who gave her some of his own sketches so she could copy them in her style. Her most important work is Bernardino Campi Painting Sofonisba Anguissola, a portrait of her art teacher painting a portrait of her.

Frida Kahlo

Best known for her surreal, and sometimes haunting, self-portraits, this Mexican painter is a symbol of both her country’s traditional heritage and the feminist movement. While she was loved passionately during her life, the public didn’t recognize her work until many years after her death.

Maya Angelou

This writer’s cultural importance stems not only from her beautiful prose but also in how her autobiographically inspired works have centered on the struggles of African Americans, including the themes of racism and identity. She’s earned the attention and respect of the academic community, having been awarded 30 honorary degrees.

Ayn Rand

While this Russian-born novelist is best known for her philosophical work Atlas Shrugged and the idea of Objectivism, she was also a playwright and screenwriter, working with the famed director Cecil B. DeMille at MGM.

Jane Austen

The writer who brought us the love story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett is without a doubt one of the most important literary figures in history, male or female. And the fact that she wrote while sitting in the family living room (with people constantly bustling about) only makes us more in awe of her talents.

Annie Leibowitz

This iconic photographer got her start at Rolling Stone magazine, which launched with Annie as its chief photographer. She’s taken some of the world’s most iconic photos of some of the world’s most iconic people — including the very last photograph of John Lennon.