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In Focus Tour: Gendering the V&A’s early modern collections
Look beyond the labels and investigate the stories of gender behind some of our early modern objects
This tour uncovers the stories of marginalised people in unexpected places. Discover how the invisible labour of thousands of poorly paid women can be found all over the museum. Learn how embroidery gave women political freedom; how poisonous objects can help us understand the origin of the claim that “boys don’t cry” and how some surprising accessories have allowed people to express gender nonconformity.
Tour led by Kit Heyam, research fellow on ‘Gendering Interpretations’, a collaborative project between the V&A, Sweden’s Vasa Museum, and the universities of Plymouth and Lund, to help us do just that.
