Ann Kennedy Smith
@akennedysmith.bsky.social
Researcher and author, writing about Cambridge women's history 1870-1948. Articles in TLS, Slightly Foxed, ODNB & History Today. You can find me at 'Cambridge Ladies' Dining Society' on Substack: https://akennedysmith.substack.com/
Pinned
The ghost of Jane Harrison
The woman who haunts Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own
akennedysmith.substack.com
The ghost of the Cambridge classical scholar Jane Harrison haunts the pages of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own (1929). Here's my post on the layers of connections, for over 30 years, these two writers shared.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Just hope this guy isn’t the captain of an industrial trawling vessel.
Anyone please aware of people here who might be experts on industrial trawling vessels? Looking for help with terminology and ship types, thanks!
February 17, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Just hope this guy isn’t the captain of an industrial trawling vessel.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
'The two women turned what was little more than a collection of old sheds into a purpose-built, stylish studio and shop...' @akennedysmith.bsky.social on the creative & entrepreneurial collaboration between friends & photographers Lettice Ramsey & Helen Muspratt.
I wrote about Cambridge photographer Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985) and why she should be better known. #Ramsey&Muspratt
Woman with a camera
Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985)
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:03 PM
'The two women turned what was little more than a collection of old sheds into a purpose-built, stylish studio and shop...' @akennedysmith.bsky.social on the creative & entrepreneurial collaboration between friends & photographers Lettice Ramsey & Helen Muspratt.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Love this so much, especially the juxtaposition of English folklore paths with an Amazon spokesperson going out of their way to deny a person driving their branded vehicle is an employee.
I followed the biggest story of the week: how an Amazon delivery van became marooned on the Broomway www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Abandon shipment: how an Amazon van got marooned on the UK’s ‘most dangerous path’
Driver reportedly checked with base and was told to continue when GPS directed van on to Essex mudflats
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Love this so much, especially the juxtaposition of English folklore paths with an Amazon spokesperson going out of their way to deny a person driving their branded vehicle is an employee.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
before antibiotics did people just die all the time from everything?
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Historian of medicine here. Yes. Yes, they did.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Happy Lunar New Year!
We're welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse with highlights from our collections 🔥🐎
Kalāpustaka, 17th century Nepalese accordion book (MS Add. 864)
loom.ly/3Wjvk_Q
We're welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse with highlights from our collections 🔥🐎
Kalāpustaka, 17th century Nepalese accordion book (MS Add. 864)
loom.ly/3Wjvk_Q
Sanskrit Manuscripts : Kalāpustaka
A masterfully crafted 17th-century Nepalese accordion book, completely consisting of polychrome drawings, for a total of
loom.ly
February 17, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Happy Lunar New Year!
We're welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse with highlights from our collections 🔥🐎
Kalāpustaka, 17th century Nepalese accordion book (MS Add. 864)
loom.ly/3Wjvk_Q
We're welcoming the Year of the Fire Horse with highlights from our collections 🔥🐎
Kalāpustaka, 17th century Nepalese accordion book (MS Add. 864)
loom.ly/3Wjvk_Q
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
From today until Friday (17 Feb), @waterstones.bsky.social is offering 25% off preorders for my debut novel, A TINY SPECK OF BLACK & THEN NOTHING. Set in Osaka in the early 2000s, it's the story of 2 young friends - a nightclub hostess & a schoolteacher - & what happens when one of them disappears.
February 17, 2026 at 3:04 PM
From today until Friday (17 Feb), @waterstones.bsky.social is offering 25% off preorders for my debut novel, A TINY SPECK OF BLACK & THEN NOTHING. Set in Osaka in the early 2000s, it's the story of 2 young friends - a nightclub hostess & a schoolteacher - & what happens when one of them disappears.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
The extraordinary story of when, two months into the bloody Great War, the newspaper launched an unusual competition: ft.trib.al/MMgA4v4
The FT contest that challenged readers to redraw Europe’s borders
The extraordinary story of when, two months into the bloody Great War, the newspaper launched an unusual competition
ft.trib.al
February 17, 2026 at 12:30 PM
The extraordinary story of when, two months into the bloody Great War, the newspaper launched an unusual competition: ft.trib.al/MMgA4v4
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
The testimonies of formerly enslaved people, collected in the 1930s by the Federal Writers’ Project, provide a unique archive for historians.
⌛️ Last chance to read this recent History Matters for free
www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
⌛️ Last chance to read this recent History Matters for free
www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
Black Voices from the Archive
www.historytoday.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:34 AM
The testimonies of formerly enslaved people, collected in the 1930s by the Federal Writers’ Project, provide a unique archive for historians.
⌛️ Last chance to read this recent History Matters for free
www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
⌛️ Last chance to read this recent History Matters for free
www.historytoday.com/archive/hist...
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Anyone know of any museums, libraries, professional bodies or societies that have made the decision to delete their Twitter accounts?
February 17, 2026 at 9:17 AM
Anyone know of any museums, libraries, professional bodies or societies that have made the decision to delete their Twitter accounts?
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Happy Lunar New Year! This beautiful specimen is from our 1668 edition of 'Markham's master-piece ... touching on curing all diseases in horses', a seminal text on horse care #LunarYear #YearOfTheHorse
February 17, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Happy Lunar New Year! This beautiful specimen is from our 1668 edition of 'Markham's master-piece ... touching on curing all diseases in horses', a seminal text on horse care #LunarYear #YearOfTheHorse
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Any experts on #WW2 National Registration Identity Cards? Photo not commonly included - was it because he worked at Lyness Naval Base? Date is 1940. Not seeing anything similar online. #NorthWallsAndBrims #Orkney
February 17, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Any experts on #WW2 National Registration Identity Cards? Photo not commonly included - was it because he worked at Lyness Naval Base? Date is 1940. Not seeing anything similar online. #NorthWallsAndBrims #Orkney
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
The Ladybird look.
Duffle coat (over shorts)
Artist: Clive Uptton, 1964
Duffle coat (over shorts)
Artist: Clive Uptton, 1964
February 16, 2026 at 8:05 PM
The Ladybird look.
Duffle coat (over shorts)
Artist: Clive Uptton, 1964
Duffle coat (over shorts)
Artist: Clive Uptton, 1964
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Early modern metadata
![Handwritten title reading 'A Description & Account of the Diffrent [sic] islands & bays on the NW Coast in what Manner situated & the product that arise from the Different Islands & likewise the behaviour of the Natives from Each Different Place'.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:h2bvg3nkxrszfh5me3w4qq3j/bafkreib2dilxyd2ujv4bdx3c46oouohavmuk4avtlftozegej235r2duye@jpeg)
February 16, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Early modern metadata
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
"Many of Ramsey & Muspratt’s original, historic glass plates that were stored in their Post Office Terrace studio remain in private ownership, while others are held by the Cambridgeshire Collection. It would be wonderful if @theul.bsky.social secured this unique archive for the nation..."
I wrote about Cambridge photographer Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985) and why she should be better known. #Ramsey&Muspratt
Woman with a camera
Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985)
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 12:39 PM
"Many of Ramsey & Muspratt’s original, historic glass plates that were stored in their Post Office Terrace studio remain in private ownership, while others are held by the Cambridgeshire Collection. It would be wonderful if @theul.bsky.social secured this unique archive for the nation..."
A glimpse into Ramsey & Muspratt's Cambridge studio. In the 1930s Lettice Ramsey & Helen Muspratt photographed John Maynard Keynes, Guy Burgess, Dorothy Hodgkin, Donald Maclean, Joan Robinson, Julian Bell and many others here.
Been reminding myself of the many photographers who used the Post Office Terrace studio in Cambridge, including the 1930s pair of women Lettice Ramsey and Helen Muspratt. I'm doing a talk about the studio in Huntingdon in May. See www.library.live/calendar/loc... for more info
February 16, 2026 at 12:16 PM
A glimpse into Ramsey & Muspratt's Cambridge studio. In the 1930s Lettice Ramsey & Helen Muspratt photographed John Maynard Keynes, Guy Burgess, Dorothy Hodgkin, Donald Maclean, Joan Robinson, Julian Bell and many others here.
I wrote about Cambridge photographer Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985) and why she should be better known. #Ramsey&Muspratt
Woman with a camera
Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985)
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:23 AM
I wrote about Cambridge photographer Lettice Ramsey (1898–1985) and why she should be better known. #Ramsey&Muspratt
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
"Time, which was once squandered, must now be given over to the actual, the possible, and perhaps to that evanescent hope of a good outcome which never deserts one, and which should never be abandoned."
Anita Brookner, Leaving Home, 2005 (the novel's last sentence)
#SundaySentence 📖 #Flowers
Anita Brookner, Leaving Home, 2005 (the novel's last sentence)
#SundaySentence 📖 #Flowers
February 15, 2026 at 4:14 PM
"Time, which was once squandered, must now be given over to the actual, the possible, and perhaps to that evanescent hope of a good outcome which never deserts one, and which should never be abandoned."
Anita Brookner, Leaving Home, 2005 (the novel's last sentence)
#SundaySentence 📖 #Flowers
Anita Brookner, Leaving Home, 2005 (the novel's last sentence)
#SundaySentence 📖 #Flowers
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Suffragette leader Christabel Pankhurst. c.1910, photo by Scottish photographer Christina Broom (1862-1939), UK's first female press photographer, who documented the women's suffrage movement.
February 15, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Suffragette leader Christabel Pankhurst. c.1910, photo by Scottish photographer Christina Broom (1862-1939), UK's first female press photographer, who documented the women's suffrage movement.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
It’s time to reveal the 2026 #WomensPrize for Non-Fiction longlist! A hopeful list, these are 16 books that reflect the belief that every woman’s voice has the power to elicit and inspire change: youtu.be/ScHiI1saMCY
The 2026 Women's Prize for Non-Fiction longlist
YouTube video by Women's Prize
youtu.be
February 11, 2026 at 2:10 PM
It’s time to reveal the 2026 #WomensPrize for Non-Fiction longlist! A hopeful list, these are 16 books that reflect the belief that every woman’s voice has the power to elicit and inspire change: youtu.be/ScHiI1saMCY
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
I’ve got a brand new short story, a re-imagining of the Lot’s Wife narrative up on the EFACIS website as part of Kaleidoscope 3. It’s my favourite thing I’ve written in ages. Follow the link here if you fancy spending 15 minutes with the “Salty Wives”
kaleidoscope3.efacis.eu/publications...
kaleidoscope3.efacis.eu/publications...
Salty Wives
Salty Wives “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26 It was early autumn when the first one appeared. She was planted in a south-facing flowerbed, wide-eyeing the p...
kaleidoscope3.efacis.eu
February 11, 2026 at 6:31 PM
I’ve got a brand new short story, a re-imagining of the Lot’s Wife narrative up on the EFACIS website as part of Kaleidoscope 3. It’s my favourite thing I’ve written in ages. Follow the link here if you fancy spending 15 minutes with the “Salty Wives”
kaleidoscope3.efacis.eu/publications...
kaleidoscope3.efacis.eu/publications...
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
Lovely piece on hair gift-giving by @leannecalvert.bsky.social who has been digging around in the hairy archives at PRONI.
As a physical piece of a person that would outlast their human life, a lock of hair symbolised immortal love.
Forget flowers: lovers in 18th- and 19th-century Ireland exchanged hair
As a physical piece of a person that would outlast their human life, a lock of hair symbolised immortal love.
tcnv.link
February 10, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Lovely piece on hair gift-giving by @leannecalvert.bsky.social who has been digging around in the hairy archives at PRONI.
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
not a lot of people know that G4S stands for 'Grill For Sausages'. it originally started out as a street-food company, and the iconic dark-blue vans - though they have long since sealed up their hatches - still all have fitted fridges and gas bbqs in the back
February 11, 2026 at 3:31 PM
not a lot of people know that G4S stands for 'Grill For Sausages'. it originally started out as a street-food company, and the iconic dark-blue vans - though they have long since sealed up their hatches - still all have fitted fridges and gas bbqs in the back
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
It's International Day of Women and Girls in Science - this is very important and relevant in my day job.
Not relevant to my day job, but tentatively related because... uh, women in the SWEET SCIENCE (🤷🏻♀️!?), here is a bit of research I did a while back 🥊🥊
grapplingwithhistory.com/2024/03/10/f...
Not relevant to my day job, but tentatively related because... uh, women in the SWEET SCIENCE (🤷🏻♀️!?), here is a bit of research I did a while back 🥊🥊
grapplingwithhistory.com/2024/03/10/f...
Finding The Sisters Mills – England’s First Black Lady Boxers?
There is a sketch on p.45 of L.A. Jennings’ fascinating She’s a Knockout!: A History of Women in Fighting Sports which caused a loud squeal to emerge from my mouth. The National P…
grapplingwithhistory.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:32 PM
It's International Day of Women and Girls in Science - this is very important and relevant in my day job.
Not relevant to my day job, but tentatively related because... uh, women in the SWEET SCIENCE (🤷🏻♀️!?), here is a bit of research I did a while back 🥊🥊
grapplingwithhistory.com/2024/03/10/f...
Not relevant to my day job, but tentatively related because... uh, women in the SWEET SCIENCE (🤷🏻♀️!?), here is a bit of research I did a while back 🥊🥊
grapplingwithhistory.com/2024/03/10/f...
Reposted by Ann Kennedy Smith
"The South Vietnamese people, who are struggling for their independence and freedom, are friends with the American colored people being victim of barbarous racial discrimination at home. Your battlefield is right in the USA! Your enemy is the war lords in the White House and the Pentagon!"
‘A white man’s war, a Black man’s fight’: the eye-opening story of Black soldiers in Vietnam
At a time when Black military history is being rewritten under Trump officials, new book The War Within a War provides a vital reminder
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:53 PM
"The South Vietnamese people, who are struggling for their independence and freedom, are friends with the American colored people being victim of barbarous racial discrimination at home. Your battlefield is right in the USA! Your enemy is the war lords in the White House and the Pentagon!"