Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain

British Blonde: Women, Desire and the Image in Post-War Britain

Nead, Lynda

Hardcover

Art Criticism & TheoryArt HistoryWomen's Studies

ISBN10: 1913107493
ISBN13: 9781913107499
Publisher: Paul Mellon Centre
Published: Oct 21 2025
Pages: 240
Weight: 2.25
Height: 1.10 Width: 8.00 Depth: 10.30
Language: English
A vivid account of the atmosphere and culture of postwar Britain, explored through the image of the British Blonde

In the 1950s, American glamour swept into a war-torn Britain as part of a broader transatlantic exchange of culture and commodities. But in this process, the American ideal of the blonde became uniquely British--Marilyn Monroe transformed into Diana Dors.

British Blonde examines postwar Britain through the changing ideals of femininity that reflected the nation's evolving concerns in the twenty-five years following the Second World War. At its heart are four iconic women whose stories serve as prompts for broader accounts of social and culture change: Diana Dors, the quintessential blonde bombshell; Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain; Barbara Windsor, star of the Carry On films; and the Pop artist Pauline Boty. Together, they reveal how class, social aspiration, and desire reshaped the cultural atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s, complicating gender roles and visual culture in the process.

Richly illustrated with paintings, photography, film stills, and advertisements, this interdisciplinary and engagingly written study offers a highly original perspective on an era that transformed Britain's visual and cultural identity.

​Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

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