Art and Citizenship in Conflict

British Women War Artists, 1939–45

Lucy Curzon

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Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Manchester University Press
01 November 2025

Art & design styles: c 1900 to c 1960; Individual artists, art monographs; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Second World War; Feminism & feminist theory

Art and Citizenship in Conflict examines the work of women war artists in order to highlight the complexity of citizenship and gender in Britain during the Second World War.

Evelyn Dunbar, Mary Kessell, Ethel Gabain, Stella Schmolle, and Laura Knight, among others, were commissioned by the War Artists' Advisory Committee (WAAC) to document the millions of women who took up sometimes unconventional roles

in agriculture, the auxiliary services, and manufacturing, among others

to support the British war effort. Indeed, their prints, drawings, and paintings were part of a broader scheme to uphold morale and promote much-needed citizen involvement on the home front. While there is growing interest, the importance of their remit in the history of the Second World War and the quality of their artistry have nonetheless not yet secured them a significant place in scholarship. Art and Citizenship in Conflict seeks to amend this gap.

By: Lucy Curzon
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 170mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 737g
ISBN: 9781526165121
ISBN 10: 1526165120
Pages: 246
Publication Date: 01 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Further / Higher Education , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Lucy D. Curzon is professor of art history at the University of Alabama.