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Women reading letters is a widespread motif in art history. In the 17^th century, the motif was ubiquitous in Dutch painting, became erotically charged in the French Rococo period, and was taken up again in the 19^th and 20^th century by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse. Research has mainly focused on male artists depicting female (letter) readers whereas paintings by women artists depicting the same motif have not yet been researched (comparatively). This is surprising since women painters have employed the motif of the letter since the 19^th century – prominent examples being Mary Cassatt’s The Letter (1890/1), Harriet Backers Evening, Interior (1896) or Charlotte Berend-Corinths Self-portrait (1941). In addition, the epistolary form as such has regained prominence in works by contemporary women artists working in different mediums, for instance, Sophie Calles installation Prenez-soin de vous (2007), Moyra Davey’s chromogenic prints Subway Writers (2011) or Nicole Tyson’s book Dead Letter Men (2015).

This session seeks to bring together scholars whose work addresses the epistolary as motif or form in works by women artists. Artists are also invited to contribute their perspective on this topic. We will discuss issues of class, gender and race in relation to these works. In bringing together current research from different geographical contexts and historical periods this session aims at uncovering the yet untold stories of woman and letters in the visual arts.