Female artists have always been practically invisible – a groundbreaking show is putting that right | Katy Hessel

Finally, with an exhibition spanning 400 years, female artists are getting their due. How did history get away with depriving us of these artists for so long?There’s a painting from 1857 called Nameless and Friendless. It’s by Emily Mary Osborn and depicts people in an art dealer’s shop like a theatrical scene. Rain pours outside and men are up on ladders, writing down records, or wearing top hats with their faces lit up as they peer over newspapers, all directing our gaze to t