They had to go to war, be imprisoned or go into exile so that women could enter the workshops and factories. Although since the mid-1920s it has been common to see women working – as typists, embroiderers, sales clerks, workers, mothers – it was especially during the Civil War and the post-war period that the importance of their work became evident , something that is now reflected inthe exhibition Rhythms. Images of women’s work at the Reina Sofia Museum.
It took the conflict for gender roles to be reversed or renegotiated, and that change is evident in the graphic press, not only during, but also before and after the conflict. In addition to gathering materials from media such as Estampa, Crónica or a diary of the Women’s Section of the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las J.O.N.S., the exhibition includes an unpublished audiovisual production by Julia Montilla.
The images in the Rhythms exhibition show a work that imposes a cadence on the bodies of those who work, a series of repetitions that the researchers and curators of the exhibition themselves -Selina Blasco, Maite Garbayo-Maeztu and María Rosón- have experienced as part of the documentation process.
Dates of Ritmos. Images of women’s work
The exhibition, which opened on March 21, can be visited until June 13, 2025 in Space D of the Library and Documentation Center of the Nouvel Building (Ronda de Atocha, s/n). The opening hours are from 9 am to 9 pm from Monday to Friday except holidays.
There is also the possibility of taking a guided tour of the exhibition on alternate Wednesdays at 12 noon starting on April 2. Admission is free until full capacity is reached and it is necessary to register in advance by e-mail at biblioteca@museoreinasofia.es.
The missing trades of the women of Madrid
In addition to those mentioned above, and speaking locally, there have been other trades performed by women who helped to build Madrid: from cigarette sellers to Metro ticket takers, many of them are collected in the book We Were Indomitable. Los oficios desaparecidos de las mujeres de Madrid (We Were Indomitable. The Disappeared Trades of the Women of Madrid)by journalist and writer Victoria Gallardo.
In relation to this issue, the adaptation of the first novel by Luisa Carnés can also be seen at the Teatro Español, Natachawhich deals with the reality of women workers in a textile workshop.