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OUR 2025 PRESENTATION
Alice Williams (1863-1957)
The youngest of fourteen offspring from a Welsh family, Alice was expected to remain single and to care for her mum. When her mum passed away, she was 40 and finally independent. Lively and very intelligent, she met the young Constance Smedley, founder of the Lyceum Club. Immediately, Alice won Constance’s trust and became a key member of this endeavour, contributing to the opening of the Clubs of Berlin and Paris.
120TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LYCEUM CLUB OF BERLIN
Alice travelled with Constance to Berlin where they helped with the set-up of the first Lyceum Club abroad led by the very capable and competent businesswoman Hedwig Heyl. The Berliner club was under the patronage of the talented musician and prolific writer, Carmen Sylva (1843-1916), born Elisabeth of Wied who became the first Queen of Romania, but her destiny could have been different if Edward VII, future British King at that time, had not been indifferent to her charm. Thanks to her devotion to the wounded soldiers during the Russo-Turkish war, her encouragement to higher education for women, her commitment to various charities, she was loved by the Romanians. The Berliner Club was a hive a talented artists and intellectual ladies. Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945) was one of them. But with the rise of the National Socialism, Kathe lost all her positions, was banned from exhibitions and her works removed from museum. Being internationally well-known probably saved her from deportation. In 1993, it was an enlarged version of her sculpture ‘Mother with her dead son’ which was chosen as a monument to the victims of war and tyranny and inaugurated during a German reunification ceremony.
80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ
Anne Frank (1929-1945), Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) and Simone Veil (1927-2017) – three teenagers or young women during WWII, all victims of a barbaric regime. Anne and Sophie could have been the German Simone Veil if Sophie, student and member of the white rose resistance had not been caught at university with anti-nazi pamphlets or if Anne had not been denounced by neighbours. Auschwitz survivor, Simone Veil is considered as one of the most inspiring women in France and remembered in many ways: as the Health Minister who made access to contraception easier and fought for the legalisation of abortion, as instrumental to the reconciliation between European countries after the war and the first female President of the European Parliament.
Photo Credit Simone Veil @ European Union
WOMEN IN SCIENCE
The two Smedley sisters, Constance and Ida, were encouraged by their parents ‘to follow the best education in anything for which they showed an aptitude’. For Ida Smedley Maclean (1877-1944), it was science. While fighting discrimination in the scientific field dominated by males, initiating the idea of establishing a Federation of University Women, she would be recognised for her work in fatty acid at the Lister institute. Not long ago the Lyceum Club of Paris paid tribute to one of their longstanding members, Françoise Dieterlen (1932-2021), who had a long and brilliant career in research in embryology and remembered for her remarkable work on hematopoietic stem cells. Our three noble prizes were selected by two of our scientist-members. Rita Levi Montalcini (1909-2012) “I am not a scientist; I am more an artist…”. Rita received the ‘Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1986 for the discovery of Nerve Growth Factor. She overcame unimaginable challenges during her life - spanning from gender to racial discriminations - and yet was able to achieve the pinnacle of scientific brilliance while contributing to many important social endeavours, supporting young women scientists. ‘. Jennifer Doudna (1964-) and Emmanuelle Charpentier (1968-) received together the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for the pioneering work on CRISPR gene editing. Their scientific brilliance and collaboration are a wonderful story.
credit: painted portraits @Marina Trani member ILCL
TRIENNAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS IALC – TAURANGA – NZ
British, feminist and born the same year, both Millicent Fawcett (1847- 1929) and Kate Sheppard (1847-1934) led a campaign for women’s right to vote. Kate untiredly travelled across New Zealand to promote the right for women to have their vote and in 1893, she presented to the parliament a petition of 32000 signatures of women. Despite virulent opposition, the Electoral Act 1893 was passed: the women of New Zealand were the first in the world to have the right to vote. 35 years later, the same right was granted to the British women. New Zealand is a country where women have distinguished themselves in many fields, in politics, in sports, and art. One of the most internationally well-known Soprano is Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (1944-) famous for her Mozart and Strauss repertoire. She is now dedicating her time to help young Kiwi musicians through her foundation. Dame Sophie Pascoe (1993-) is today the most successful Paralympian swimmer winning in total eleven gold medals, seven silver and one bronze over four paralympic games. NZ is not short of talented women and the IALC Congress will be the opportunity to find out.
Photo Credit Kiri Te Kanawa & Sophie Pascoe: @ NZ Government - Office of Governor-General
WOMEN IN WAR
Lyceum members' involvement as medical staff, resistants (Lyceum Club of Paris), Bletchley Park girls (Lyceum Club of London) and other major actions, during the XXe century conflicts should not be forgotten. In wartime, some women will not take a no for answer. The businesswoman, Mary Seacole (1805-1881) saw her offer to help the British troops during the Crimean war rejected by the Government. She funded her travel to Crimean to nurse wounded soldiers. Going back to Roman times in c.60, Boudicea, Queen of British Iceni was a ‘firecracker’, leading a rebellion against the Romans who ignored her husband's will and raped their daughters. The rebellion failed but she is remembered for her courage and represents justice and independence.
WOMEN EXPLORERS AND PIONEERS
If the explorer Isabella Bird was the first woman to be accepted at the Royal Geographical Society in 1913, it was thanks to the pressure put by the newly created Lyceum Club’s Geographical Circle by Bessie Pullen-Burry. Vice-President of that circle, Charlotte Cameron (1869-1946) travelled intensively to Africa, America, Australia and other parts of the world and her books are considered by scholars as an important contribution to the knowledge of civilisations. She was not the first one. French botanist and explorer, Jeanne Baret (1740-1807) was the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. In order to do that, she disguised herself as a sailor to be accepted on the boat, but when discovered, she was disembarked in Mauritius and only returned to France several years later. She collected, packed and sent to the King of France more than 6000 plant specimens. Accomplished writer and sculptor, the Duchess of Uzes (1847-1933) was also a feminist and a pioneer: President of the French Women Automobile Club and of the Aeroclub Ladies’ committee, the first woman to obtain a driving licence and a speeding ticket in France. And if this was not enough, the last but not the least, the first President of the Lyceum Club of Paris!
WOMEN VOICES
Polymath and Benedictine nun, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) is tody remembered for being one of the first music composer. Her poetry, healing manuscripts and visions remain important. She became a sort of ‘super star’; when the pope started to send delegations to consult her. Another super woman who was not afraid to speak up was Germaine de Staël (1766-1817), a pioneering Swiss thinker and novelist. She was at the philosophical and literary avant-garde in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She had a lasting impact not only on the political philosophy of her day but on European literary. She was several times exiled for expressing her opinion. Our time is not short of remarkable women like Malala Yousafzai (1997-), 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, who courageously campaigned for the right of all children to receive an education, or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie whose books received worldwide recognition. She is phenomenal and inspiring writer and speaker for younger generation, in Nigeria and beyond. ‘Your job is not to be likeable, your job is to your fullest self’.
Photo credit Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie @Manny Jefferson
Finally, we want to remember all the Afghan women who disappeared under their burqa. Deprived of education, of being heard, of care, work and pleasure, their fight is one of the biggest and hardest one can imagine. Our thoughts are to all those women in the world who cannot be heard.
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