2018 saw a yearlong campaign at the university to celebrate 150 years of access to education for women, “Leading Women.” In 1868, nine women were admitted to the University of London. This was the first time in Britain that women had gained access to a university education and this modest event was an immensely significant moment for the University of London, for women, and for society as a whole. We decided to celebrate as many of ‘our women’ here at the University as we could in the third issue of our alumni and student magazine–WC1E. We opted for a photo-led cover story that profiled 10 remarkable women working at the University of London today. These women were nominated by their colleagues for their outstanding work and contribution to our ethos of “one University.” We hired a professional photographer–Laurie Griffiths–who we have worked closely with in the past to shoot the portraits.
From the Judges
Our panel fell for these formal portraits from the University of London. The women are shot using formal principles in traditional environments of power. One comment was about how these women had been photographed “like men” with the body language of gravitas and reverence. Refreshing to see women photographed with a sense of their substance and wisdom.
