Representations of Women in Western Art: a Late-Nineteenth-Century Case Study in Clarkson,

This summer, students in Dr. Farrukh Rafiq's topics course, "Representations of Women in Western Art: a Late-Nineteenth-Century Case Study in Clarkson," critically examined depictions of women in art and broader visual culture in mid- to late-nineteenth-century England and Canada. Using an interdisciplinary approach, students explored primary sources including prominent women's magazines, considering the varying contexts behind the images. For their final project, they teamed up with Museums of Mississauga, and with the help of Collections Supervisor Stephanie Meeuwse, the class curated an exhibition at Benares Historic House. The exhibition presented objects owned by the women of the Harris and Sayers families of Benares House within the contexts researched during the course.