Studies of Women Reading, and Other Heads 

Editor: Okay, so we have Henry Tresham’s sketch, "Studies of Women Reading, and Other Heads," from the late 18th century. It's a flurry of ink that makes me think of eavesdropping on a very polite, very quiet book club. What do you make of the way Tresham captures these figures? Curator: It feels like a stolen glance, doesn't it? The quick, almost frantic lines suggest he's trying to capture a fleeting moment of intellectual intimacy. There's something very honest about the unfinished nature of it all. Almost like he’s inviting us into his mind to witness his creative process unfold. What do you think he's saying about women and knowledge? Editor: I guess they were reading, which was radical at the time! It makes me wonder what they're reading about. Curator: Precisely! And perhaps Tresham is hinting at the quiet revolution happening within those pages. It leaves me pondering the power of observation and the secrets hidden in plain sight.