is an independent scholar and a retired professor at the University of Glasgow, and at Brunel University, London. As a world-record-breaking sprinter, he competed internationally and won two bronze medals representing Great Britain in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He has been working on the corporeal and sporting early modern women for many years, and enjoyed the experience of being a Folger Fellow in 2018, and again in 2021. His monograph – “They Run With Surprising Swiftness – The Women Athletes of Early Modern Britain” will be published by the University of Virginia Press later this year.
Folger fellow Peter Radford explores the history of picturing women athletes from ancient Greece to early modern Europe, how these images can be hard to find and interpret, but also why they’re so valuable and compelling.
Glimpses of women athletes in 18th-century England
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Peter Radford
A Folger fellow and former Olympian shares images and stories of 18th-century women athletes in England who competed in races, fights, cricket matches, and more.
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