The achievements of many women in the arts have, until recently, been downplayed or ignored. Spanning six centuries and hundreds of women, Women Artists presents a wealth of information on the subject, with more than 300 reproductions of works by extraordinary female artists, from pre-Renaissance times to the present. Margaret Barlow's informative and well-researched text highlights the lives and accomplishments of both famous and lesser-known women who, despite societal pressures and restrictions, pursued successful careers in art through the ages, including Judith Leyster, Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Lebrun, Emily Mary Osborn, Kathe Kollwitz, Angelica Kauffmann, Lilly Martin Spencer, Paula Modershohn-Becker, and scores of others. Also included here are journal entries, letters, and excerpts from autobiographies of several women artists -- fascinating for the light they shed on how these women perceived their life and work.