What is the prime focus of your work?

For the last 25 years, I have been an acquisitions editor in scholarly publishing. In that capacity, I have published numerous studies about early modern women, including women artists. I work on the book series Illuminating Women Artists, which since 2021 has published 11 books about individual female artists from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. There are two more series titles forthcoming in Spring 2026.

I am also the founder of the Art Herstory project, which supports the movement to recover the names, stories and works of historic women artists. Art Herstory reproduces paintings by early modern women artists on note cards and holiday cards, which are sold online and, in some cases, in museum or gift shops. On the Art Herstory  website, I publish guest posts by stakeholders in the movement—including (at least) professors, curators, collectors, historic fiction authors, students, and descendants of artists. I also issue a free monthly newsletter presenting information about discoveries, new books, acquisitions and auction news, and more, to do with this theme. And I post daily on Art Herstory’s social media accounts about related issues.

What do you find the most fascinating about the connection between women artists and still life painting?

I find it fascinating that women artists have been painting still lifes since the inception of the genre. Until maybe 5-6 years ago, I did not know this. I had never heard of a specific historic woman artist before about the nineteenth century. It turns out that not only did women actively participate in the development and evolution of still life as a genre, but some were quite influential and/or successful! Sister Orsola Maddalena Caccia is said to have helped introduce still life as a genre to northwestern Italy. Clara Peeters is prominent among the artists who shaped the traditions of “breakfast pieces” and “banquet pieces.” Maria Sibylla Merian made prints as well as watercolors, so that her art was widely accessible even in her own time. The Prado Museum website reports that in 1639, King Charles I of England owned five fruit paintings by Louise Moillon. Josefa de Óbidos is the most celebrated artist—male or female—of Portuguese Baroque art. Rachel Ruysch was famous in her time; her paintings sold for higher prices than those of many of her contemporaries, including Rembrandt. And according to eighteenth-century biographer Lione Pascoli, the multi-talented Giovanna Garzoni could command for her art “any price that she asked.” And these are just a few of the earliest women practitioners of still life that we know about so far!

How do you feel museums like The Hyde Collection bring new perspectives to centuries-long discussions in the art world?

An interesting aspect of historic art is that even though it is seated in the past, it isn’t necessarily static. Sometimes cultural professionals find reason to change – sometimes dramatically – the date of an artwork. Occasionally, they will even determine that a work is by different artist than had been thought, and they propose a new attribution. And there is always the potential for new interpretations, especially in the wake of discoveries from physical examinations or from archives. Museum staffers conduct and also keep up with historical research; they share new discoveries, insights, and interpretations in public talks or guided tours. They organize temporary exhibitions, sometimes including artworks from centuries ago, to explore themes that resonate today, and to expose visitors to art they might never otherwise see. Museums benefit from insights not only from scholars, but also from practitioners of art and art-lovers in their communities. A program such as Painting with Patrice: Tulips in the Style of Maria Sibylla Merian offers participants an opportunity to create art, while at the same time learning about a historic painter!

Join Erika at The Hyde for the Panel Discussion: Is still life still relevant? on November 15, 2025.
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