Dr. Gail Murray, associate professor of history at Rhodes, will present a talk on Feb. 21 at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art about its current exhibition “Angels and Tomboys: Girlhood in 19th-Century American Art.”
This special exhibition explores the many ways in which girls were portrayed in American painting, sculpture, prints, and photography during the 19th century. Although the most typical portrayals are of girls as innocent, passive, and domestic, there are alternative images of tomboys, working children, and adolescents. Among the themes the works explore are Victorian attitudes toward the nature and nurture of children; the association of girls with fashion, health and home; and the impact of the Civil War on families.
Murray, who is author of American Children’s Literature and the Construction of Childhood, will present her talk at 6:30 p.m. The talk is free with the admission charge to the museum the evening of Feb. 21, but seating is very limited. To make reservations, contact Elesha Newberry atelesha.newberry@brooksmuseum.org or (901) 544-6215.