Round the Studios

Karen has been gallivanting up in Skye with her two dogs for the last week, so sadly there's no guest on this week's episode! But don't be dismayed as she has recorded a pilot episode base don some of her research on the Glasgow Society of Lady Artists. This is a tester to see if it is something you would like to hear more of. If you do, please let her know via her instagram @scottishwomenhistory.The Glasgow Society of Lady Artists (GSLA) was established by eight students of The Glasgow School of Art in 1882. The club, with its pro-woman ethos, attempted to combat sexism and misogyny in the Scottish art world. However, it quickly developed into a club for forward-thinking women of Glasgow, and further afield, with a list of women from an array of professions and backgrounds including doctors and nurses, teachers, political activists and socialites.Dr Karen Mailley is an academic and heritage professional who has worked in the museum and heritage sector(s) for over a decade. She specialises in heritage outreach and engagement with a community focus using archives, material culture and feminist and intersectional methodologies as the core foundation of her work. She is a Scottish Representative for GEM and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has just been elected by the Glasgow Society of Women Artists to become their Archivist.Karen’s main research focus is related to gender and the built environment in Scotland since 1880. She has been published in The Scottish Society for Art History, The Decorative Arts Society Journal, Decorating Dissidence, EPOCH Magazine, The Bottle Imp and Historic Environment Scotland. Along with her fellow History Girl, Dr Rachael Purse, she has featured on STV's The People's History Show and Stephen Jardine's Moring Radio Show.

Come on a wild ride with Dr Karen Mailley as she talks to fashion historian Dr Casci Ritchie about all things Prince and fandom. This extra long podcast covers Casci's PhD journey from starting at Galashiels, to working shifts at Lush to help support her academic career writing and researching Prince's fashion, music, legacy and the difficulties of studying a complex individual. It was wonderful talking to Casci, and this episode is a vastly edited version from the 3 hours we recorded! We both like to chat. Dr Casci Ritchie is a fashion and cultural historian, writer, and educator. She was recently awarded her doctorate for her thesis titled “(Un)dressing the Love Symbol: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Prince’s Wardrobe,” which explores the cultural influences, materiality, labor processes, afterlives, and affective legacies of the musician. She has published her research widely in journals including Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion and Queer Studies in Popular Culture. Her book, On His Royal Badness: The Life and Legacy of Prince’s Fashion, was published in 2021. The book will be reprinted in the UK on the 3rd of September and you can get 10% off by pre-ordering now!

Karen talks to art historian and curator, Alice Strang. Alice was the curator behind the Modern Scottish Women: Painters & Sculptors 185-1965 exhibition which was held at the National Galleries of Scotland from the 7th of November 2015 to the 26 Jun 2016. In 1885 Sir William Fettes Douglas, President of the Royal Scottish Academy, declared that the work of a woman artist was ‘like a man’s only weaker and poorer.’ In the same year, Fra Newbery was appointed Director of the Glasgow School of Art and did much in terms of gender equality amongst his staff and pupils. Between then and the death in 1965 of Anne Redpath, the doyenne of post-World War Two Scottish painting, an unprecedented number of Scottish women trained and practised as artists; the exhibition focused on paintings and sculptures made by forty-five of them.In this episode, Karen and Alice talk about a range of topics associated with women featured in the exhibition including the impact of the Marriage Bar, Jessie M. King and Greengate Close and how the curatorial team selected the artists and works for the exhibition. Modern Scottish Women was accompanied by a lavishly-illustrated book based on new research which has recently been reprinted and is the National Galleries of Scotland book of the month for July 2026. To purchase a copy please click here.

Join Dr Karen Mailley and Dr Rachael Purse as they discuss Edith Burnet Hughes (1888-1971) - Scotland's first practicing female architect. Dr Rachael Purse is a heritage professional, independent researcher, and historian. Rachael has an MSc in Museum Studies: Dress & Textile Histories from the University of Glasgow and was the recipient of the ‘Bringing Back the Mack’ Historic Environment Scotland and Glasgow School of Art funded PhD Scholarship 2016-2020. Her thesis research is featured in The Mack: Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Glasgow School of Art by Dr Robyne Calvert, published by Yale University Press in 2024. Her varied research interests include women’s history and the historic built environment, and as one half of History Girls Scotland, Rachael has been a presenter on STV’s The People’s History Show and on BBC Radio Scotland. You can find out more about her work here: www.rachaelpurse.com 

Join Karen as she talks to historian and local Edinburgh tour guide, Ruth Boreham about the independent women of Edinburgh.We explore the Stevenson sisters, Jane, Flora, Louisa and Eliza, who played a role in shaping Edinburgh's education for girls. The 1872 Education (Scotland) Act made it possible for women to serve on School Boards and Flora, the baby sister, was one of the first two women to be elected, and continued in this role for her whole life, eventually becoming Chairman of the Board in 1899.We also talk about the Burton family by focusing on three women who made a great impact and held space for women at the time including Mary Elizabeth Burton, who became the head gardener of Mavisbank House.

In this episode Karen and Niall Murphy discuss Scotland's architects and architecture focusing on Kathryn Findlay and Zara Hadid. They talk about the blue plaque scheme, how architects should be commemorated, and smashing the patriarchy. Also, there is mention of a 'soft and hairy' house. Intrigued?Niall is an architect with 25 years of experience, specialising in heritage, conservation, and community issues in Glasgow. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Glasgow Built Heritage Commission, is a Trustee of the Built Environment Forum Scotland, has been the Chair of the Govanhill Baths Building Preservation Trust and served on the Glasgow Urban Design Panel for a decade. He has received several awards, including the Glasgow Doors Open Day Outstanding Talk Award (2025), and frequently lectures on architecture and urban design.

Want to discover the real Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh? Let us delve further into the woman who not only married Charles Rennie Mackintosh but who was an artist and designer in her own right. Listen to Dr Karen Mailley chat to Mackintosh expert, and all round excellent human being, Dr Robyne Calvert talk about all things Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh related, from the occult to complicated relationships and friendships to working collaboratively with her husband. Karen and Robyne chat about it all!