Modelling a New Narrative

: Female Wax Artists in Early Modern Britain (c. 1500–1837)

Abstract

This thesis will explore the fascinating and diverse lives of female wax modellers operating in Britain during the early modern period (c. 1500-1837). It will demonstrate how this group of women went beyond what historians commonly think possible for their gender during the period. Whilst the research acknowledges the barriers and pressures experienced by women at this time, it evidences how entrepreneurial wax modellers navigated these inequalities to reach professional levels of success. Through a series of four case studies, I will discuss how and why scholars and curators should reconsider the importance of female wax modellers to the history of early modern British sculpture and beyond. The case studies cover a spectrum of women from different backgrounds; from the aristocratic dilettante whose designs were commercially used by Wedgwood to the working women who made an independent living making life-size waxworks. I will underpin these stories with quantitative data and a theoretical approach to broadening the definition of sculpture. An expanded definition of what historians define as ‘sculpture’ and a ‘sculptor’ would work across the fine and decorative arts and take a non-hierarchical approach to materiality. By adopting this approach, the discipline of art history and the museums that tell its story will become more inclusive and recognise previously overlooked artists. These artists have the power to reshape our understanding of female cultural production in the early modern period.

Obstacles were undoubtedly put in the way of wax modellers before women were accepted into art academies in the mid-nineteenth century. However, as this thesis will show, through clever self-fashioning and promotion, they were able to forge careers from their creative activity, sometimes with little or no societal resistance. Far from disdain, many of the women discussed in this thesis received public commissions and royal patronage. Rather than viewing female artists as exceptions and focussing on structural inequalities, this thesis contributes to a new narrative emerging in feminist art historical scholarship that seeks to emphasise female agency in history. Furthermore, the women discussed in this thesis are more than just interesting stories. Female wax modellers are relevant to a myriad of debates in art history and broader socio-political discussions on the period. In addition to highlighting the vast number of known practitioners, this thesis contributes to conversations about female labour or professionalisation. Furthermore, it critiques the deep-rooted desire for an artist’s authenticating touch in sculpture. By the end of this thesis, a picture emerges of a vibrant and bustling world of female wax modellers who both interacted with and diverged from the established institutions of art in Britain during the early modern period.

Date of Award	9 Dec 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Ann Matchette (Supervisor) & Peter R Dent (Supervisor)