I really don’t know how I came across the book, but I am so glad I did! It’s 127 pages of inspiring information, presented in a lovely illustrated format. The book does what it says it’s going to do, which is to present 50 women from all times and places, all creatives, all who have made their marks in the world. The last 12 entries are women still living and making their creative waves.

Creatives in the book include poets, painters, authors, art directors, print makers, photographers, quilters, sculptors, ceramicists, illustrators, fashion designers, architects, collage artists, teachers, textile designers, weavers, business owners, industrial designers, graphic designers, designers, concept artists, animators, dancers, installation artists, filmmakers, art advocates, performance artists, fiber artists, activists, environmental artists, and composers.

Looking at the Table of Contents, I see they are presented in birth order. Each woman is given two facing pages. The left side of the page has a large illustration of her with flying highlights and a quote at the bottom of the page, usually by her. The right side has her name at the top, d.o.b., sometimes d.o.d., and her areas of creativity. In columns on either side of the page are more highlights. In the center of the page are 3-5 paragraphs in a mini-biography. Both sides of the page are embellished with miniature illustrations.

The illustrations themselves look like a combination of ancient religious manuscript and comic book. The colors are muted. There are lots of little designs and scrolls along the borders.

Besides the 50 entries, also included is a timeline starting at 25,000 B.C.E. and continuing to the present in regards to women creating art, despite, “not having equal access to education, training, or patronage.” There is a two-page section on, “Elements and Principles of Art and Design;” a two-pager on, “Statistics in Art” that talks about what art is shown in galleries by gender and how much is paid for art, broken down by gender; a two-pager on, “Art Tools;” and a final two-pager with sources.

Writer and illustrator Rachel Ignotofsky has created other books in a similar format about women in science, women in sports, and science.