Throughout history the lives and accomplishments of women have so often been overshadowed by those of men -  which is why International Women’s Day on the 8^th March is such a welcome opportunity to learn more about, discover and celebrate women who have helped shape our world.

Our brand new colour & learn Heroines of History Tablecloth was conceived with this sentiment in mind and features portraits of 20 women from across the world and many different centuries whose lives and actions have had lasting impact. We made our selection as diverse as possible, choosing women who were gifted in different areas and fields. Some you may well recognise while others are lesser-known, but if you scan the QR code on the packaging you’ll be linked to our heroines learning page, where you can discover more about everyone featured.

Researching these heroines’ lives was incredibly inspiring and there were so many, many more remarkable women we wanted to include who simply couldn’t fit on the cloth! That’s why we decided to include three empty frames in our design, ready for your own heroines, whether historic or contemporary!

In honour of International Women’s Day and the Suffragette movement, we chose a vivid lavender – which signifies justice and dignity - as the background colour for our tablecloth.

We hope that our new colour & learn tablecloth is not only a fun, educational and creative gift, but also an inspiring one that will encourage more research and motivate more heroes and heroines of the future!

So, how well do you know our heroines of history?

  

 

 

Who is Emmeline Pankhurst?

Pankhurst was a founder of the 1903 Women’s Social and Political Union, a strong champion of the Women’s Suffrage Movement whose campaign spanned over 40 years and achieved success the year she died.

In 1999 Time magazine named her as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, stating that she ’shook society into a new pattern from which there could be no going back’.

Do you know what year the Women’s Suffrage Movement’s campaign succeed?

Emmeline Pankhurst was a truly inspiring woman who shaped history for women in Britain. eatsleepdoodle’s favourite quote - “Trust in God – she will provide”.

 

 

 Who is Mary Eliza Mahoney?

Mary Eliza was the first African American in the US to earn a professional nursing licence and co-founder of the National Association of Coloured Graduate Nurses.

Mahoney worked principally as a private care nurse, building a reputation for efficiency and professionalism while working to change the way African American nurses were treated. She actively promoted nursing as a career, especially for women of colour and worked hard to provide support and encouragement for the NACGN. She stayed active in women’s civil rights issues long after she retired.

She received several major awards and was inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Do you know what year Mary Eliza Mahoney was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame?

Mary Eliza was an incredible asset to nursing for over 40 years and helping women of colour find a voice within nursing communities and the medical profession.

 

 

 

Who is Joan of Arc?

Joan of Arc is known for her defence of France against England during the Hundred Years War. Her participation in the successful lifting of the Siege of Orleans was interpreted by the French forces as a sign of divine support for her. A follow-up battle at Patay resulted in further French success and further burnishing of Joan’s reputation.

Since her death she has become a semi-legendary figure. She was declared a national symbol of France in 1803 and was canonised.

Do you know what year Joan of Arc was canonised?

Joan of Arc showed great bravery and resilience.

eatsleepdoodle’s favourite quote – “I am not afraid…I was born to do this”

 

 

 Who is Maria Tallchief?

Maria Tallchief was one of America’s first major prima ballerinas and the first Native American to hold that rank. She performed with the New York City Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet and other major companies. Maria also co-founded the Chicago City Ballet.

Even after retirement, Maria stayed closely involved with dance organisations, becoming director of ballet at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and founding the Chicago City Ballet with her sister Marjorie. She was also accepted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1996.

What year did Maria Tallchief found the Chicago City Ballet with her sister Marjorie?

Maria is an inspiration to aspiring dancers and performers across the world. She showed incredible commitment to making her mark in the world of ballet.

 

 

 Who is Mary Ellis?

Mary Ellis was the one of the first women to fly Britain’s first jet fighter. Ellis flew over 1000 planes, delivering new aircraft and relocating aircraft from RAF airfields to the front line, including flying over 70 different types of aircrafts.

On one occasion, following her single-handed safe landing of a Wellington, the disbelieving ground crew searched the plane looking for the male pilot whom they believed had flown it!  In later life she managed Sandown Airport and founded the Isle of Wight Aero Club

Between what years did Mary Ellis manage the Sandown Airport?

Mary Ellis faced hurdles alongside other female pilots and took on those challenges with great skill and courage.

This is only a handful of the incredible women featured on our new colour and learn tablecloth! There’s more to learn about each of the 20 influential women featured in our heroines of history design – also discover the answers to the above questions on our learning resource page!

But it’s not just these women who have achieved so much – there are so many brilliant women, historical and contemporary, who have contributed so much and advanced the feminist cause, with ground-breaking discoveries, political activism, creative innovations and so much more! A small example of these impressive and influential women includes Rosa Parks, Georgie O’Keeffe, Junko Tabei, Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Seacole, Wangari Maathai, Caroline Herschel, Betty White, Jean Muir, Noor Inayat Khan, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nancy Pelosi, Frances Haugen, Naomi Osaka, Elisa Loncon Antileo, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Paula Rego – the list goes on and on!

We hope you can enjoy and celebrate these fabulous heroines of history, and that they inspire you just as much as they have us. Kids (and adults!) will enjoy colouring, learning and discovering more about the influential women who shaped history. From Boudicca and Sacagawea to Joan of Arc and Cleopatra, colour and learn about the brilliant, impactful and powerful women in history who pioneered and triumphed. And don’t forget, there’s space to add your own hero or heroine – whoever they might be! 

So, if you’re looking for an International Women’s Day gift, something for your feminist friends or a creative and educational gift for girls and boys - our heroines of history tablecloth is the one for you. We also highly recommend colouring in with your best girl power playlist on in the background – we did!

And don’t forget you can share any of your colouring creations with us on social media by using #eatsleepdoodle – we always love to see what you’re up to! You can also tag us on Instagram (@eatsleepdoodle_), Facebook (@eatsleepdoodlehq) and Twitter (@eatsleepdoodle_).