Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990 review – a monumental social history

Born Kicking, London, 1983 by Jill Posener, reprinted 2023. Courtesy of the artist Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

On 20 November 1970, American comedian Bob Hope presented the annual Miss World contest at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The show was broadcast live on BBC One. “It’s quite a cattle market,” was one of his winking quips. “I’ve been back there checking calves.” Moments later, women began to throw flour bombs in his direction. The comedian was caught by the ankle as he tried to scurry from the stage.

If you feel ire (or renewed ire) at such abhorrent gags, then this is the show for you. Women in Revolt! begins in 1970, with protest banners against Miss World – “We’re not beautiful. We’re not ugly. We’re angry” – and the first Women’s Liberation Conference, held at Ruskin College in Oxford and photographed here by the 20-year old Chandan Fraser.