Published in 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft’s book A Vindication of the Rights of Women is often seen as the first, trail-blazing, work of feminist philosophy. Not only did she insist that women should have the same rights as men, but also pointed out that if women were only given a proper education, then they could more easily make a valid contribution to the society in which they lived. We sometimes think that the world of art is in advance of other developments within society, but was that true for women artists in the 18th Century? Despite the number of women active in the 17th century, there were initially relatively few. Rosalba Carriera – one of the most successful women of any time, as it happens – was certainly very successful in the first four decades of the century and Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun saw the century out. Both became members of more than one Academy, and their success was paralleled in Britain. When the British Royal Academy was established in 1768, there were two female founder members, Angelica Kauffman and Mary Moser. It would seem that matters were improving… but we shall spend this session considering if things were as good as they appeared, looking in detail at these four artists and introducing others who may well be less well known, but who are by no means any less wonderful.