From Sappho’s ancient call-to-action, "become a voice," to Virginia Woolf’s call for intellectual freedom in A Room of One's Own, these foundational writers had a remarkable impact on future generations.

This elegant, artful book includes illustrated poetry, excerpts, and musings from pioneering women writers. From Charlotte Bronte's "I am no bird," to Emily Dickinson's universally edifying "hope is the thing with feathers," this exquisite collection is a visual ode to visionary women.

Other authors included: Jane Austen, Ida B Wells, Virginia Woolf, Edna St Vincent Millay, Charlotte Bronte, Zora Neale Hurston, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Kate Chopin, Harriet Jacobs, Willa Cather, Mary Shelley, Murasaki Shikibu, Frances Harper, Zitkala-Sa and more. 

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For this project, we selected Ogg—a luscious calligraphic serif typeface designed by Lucas Sharp. The design was inspired by the iconic hand lettering of twentieth century book designer and calligrapher Oscar Ogg. It captures the unique mix of calligraphic and typographic forms he achieved through his use of hand carved pen nibs. While Ogg is high contrast and dramatic, it remains refined and warm, which we think pairs perfectly with the art. 

This poignant quotation is from Chopin's beloved novel, "The Awakening,” and in our illustration, a woman slips off the words that once defined her. Kate Chopin was a feminist before her time. “The Awakening," which was published in 1899, was controversial and considered a failure. It wasn’t until the 1970s feminist movement that it became more widely read and recognized as a pioneering work in women’s literature. 

This line comes at a point in the story where the protagonist is at her most triumphant. If the garment in the illustration represents the expectations and conventions she is compelled to assume, this is her most authentic, naked self. I love that she’s engaged in making art as she discovers herself. 

For this illustration, we used Emily Dickinson's own words as line elements to create the "thing with feathers" she describes in this extraordinary poem. The source of hope she depicts is a bottomless well of creative inspiration and strength, which for her manifested in poetry. Visually, her handwriting is a remarkable combination of beautiful flourishes and swooshes combined with an almost frantic energy - a pen racing to keep up with a quicksilver mind. 

Pray, coffee drinkers, do not trifle with a connoisseur of the finer beverage, lest you find yourself forevermore excluded from respectable society.

In our illustration, we humbly present a woman with tea on her mind - literally. The crown of her hat is composed of an upside-down teacup, the brim a fetching saucer. Five more tea accoutrements complete the drawing, including a string of cups, fashionable tea leaf dress, chandelier steeper ball earrings, stirring spoon sunglasses and a bergamot flower brooch. 

Yes, we have a penchant for Earl Grey tea (especially that which uses real bergamot oil and not "natural flavors" but we digress). And no, Earl Grey wasn’t yet a thing in Jane Austen’s day. Neither were Jackie O. sunglasses. But like Earl Grey, they are fabulous nonetheless.

From her lyrical poem, On Imagination

Phyllis Wheatley’s story is exceptional. As a young slave in colonial America, she defied every expectation by becoming a celebrated, published poet—the first African American!—and public intellectual.

Despite countless impediments, she mastered English, Greek, and Latin, and penned elegant, classical style poems. Her poem “On Imagination” which demonstrates her knowledge of Greek mythology and the invocation of muses, is in some ways an ode to the very faculties and sheer intellectual force that led to her emancipation. Her extraordinary achievements defied all expectations and provided a refutation of slavery era prejudices.

In our illustration, the shadow of the book gives wings to the young woman depicted, allowing her to soar.

There are currently over 50 prints in our Women Writer's Collection. We invite you to browse them all.