Diane Atkinson is a British

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and author who lives in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

, London. She has written many books about the

Suffragettes A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

, and about women in history, most recently in the centenary of (some) women getting the vote in the UK, covering the detailed experiences of campaigning women in ''Rise up, women! : the remarkable lives of the suffragettes,'' Bloomsbury (2018) "A thrilling and inspiring read! For too long these extraordinary women have been hidden from history. Rise Up Women! should be a standard text in all schools. And will be a treasured handbook for today's feminists -- Harriet Harman MP" Atkinson also wrote about ''The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton'', for Random House (2012). The legal case that

George Norton Lieutenant-General Sir George Pemberton Ross Norton is a retired British Army officer. He was the UK Military Representative to NATO. He is now Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies. Military career After being educated at Radle ...

brought against his free-thinking wife Caroline Sheridan for

criminal conversation At common law, criminal conversation, often abbreviated as ''crim. con.'', is a tort arising from adultery. "Conversation" is an old euphemism for sexual intercourse that is obsolete except as part of this term. It is similar to breach of p ...

– adultery, that is – in 1836 was a scandal of the Georgian era, that drew in

Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...

and other leading figures. Atkinson's book is "the liberating life story of the first feminist legislator", according to

Kathy Lette Kathryn Marie Lette (born 11 November 1958) is an Australian-British author whose works have been best-sellers. Early life Lette was born on 11 November 1958 in Sydney's southern suburbs. She appeared in ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' of 20 Au ...

. She narrated the stage presentation '' Elsie and Mairi Go To War'' at the 2010

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

. Atkinson's book ''Love and Dirt'' about the marriage of

Arthur Munby Arthur Joseph Munby (19 August 1828 – 29 January 1910) was a British diarist, poet, portrait photographer, barrister and solicitor. He is also known by his initials, A. J. Munby. Munby in Victorian Society The Victorian Era (1837-1901) was a ...

and

Hannah Cullwick Hannah Cullwick (26 May 1833 – 9 July 1909) was an English diarist who revealed less-known aspects of the relations between Victorian servants and their masters. Working in domestic service, she caught the attention of Arthur Munby, a pro ...

wa
also very widely reviewed
and Atkinson contributed t

a

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...

drama documentary based upon it that was screened on 16 June 2008. Atkinson was a curator at the

Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall, London, Gui ...

and prepared their Suffragette exhibition in 1992. She is a graduate of the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

. She married the artist Patrick Hughes in 1986.Andrew Barrow
"Patrick Hughes: Double trouble"
''The Independent'', 1 January 2006.

Publications

* ''Rise up, women! : the remarkable lives of the suffragettes'' (Bloomsbury, 2018) *''The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton'' (Random House, 2012) * ''Elsie and Mairi go to War'' (2009) * ''Love and Dirt'' (2004) * ''Funny Girls: Cartooning for Equality'', (Penguin, 1997) a book of cartoons about the Suffragette movement * ''The Suffragettes in Pictures'' (1996) * ''The Purple, White and Green: Suffragettes in London'' (Museum of London, 1992) * ''Votes for Women'' (1998).

Reviews

* Maroulla Joannou
"To defend the oppressed"
''Gender and History'', Vol. 10, No. 2, August 1998, pp. 312–315 – a review of ''The Suffragettes in Pictures'' * Kathryn Hughes
"Book of the Week: A good roll in the muck"
''The Guardian,'', 18 January 2003 – a review of ''Love and Dirt'' * Victoria Lane, "A Dust Wench", ''The Telegraph'', 25 January 2003 – a review of ''Love and Dirt''

References

External links

Di, the Dauntless
– Atkinson's web page. {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Diane Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia British historians British women historians Feminist historians Year of birth missing (living people)