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People: Ida Smedley (1877-1944)

You can find out more about Smedley's Research (PDF Document) Ida Smedley 1933

Ida Smedley was born into a prosperous, cultured and forward-thinking Birmingham family, and her sister later recalled their childhood household as like a ‘miniature salon’: 2. 'Our Home became a Miniature Salon' (PDF Document)

Smedley went on to achieve many firsts, including an early Beit Fellowship (1910) that earned her (not always typographically accurate!) accolades at home and abroad: 3. A Fitting Typo! (PDF Document)

Such awards were followed by professional memberships and publications that established her as a leading expert in both chemistry and biochemistry: 4. 'The Leading Woman Chemist of England' (PDF Document)

Like her sister Constance Smedley, Ida from the 1900s actively worked to increase women’s involvement in social and intellectual life: 5. Sisterhood (PDF Document)

Newspaper reports indicate that Ida became further involved in suffrage and equality campaigns in the 1920s, both at home and abroad: 6. The Feminist Academic (PDF Document)

Image: Wellcome Library, London