Czech Feminist Trailblazers: Women Trailblazers

Women Trailblazers

Průkopnící českého feminismu / Czech Feminist Trailblazers
Lenka Vytlacilova
Sponsored by Sunshine for Women

Marie Červinková - Riegrová (January 19, 1895 - August 9, 1894 Praha): Marie Červinková - Riegrová was a daughter of F. L Rieger, one of the leading Czech politicians of the 19th century and a granddaughter of František Palacký, the most famous Czech historian. Her mother was famous for her charity and her selflessness. She herself married Mr. Červinka, but the marriage was an unhappy one. Divorce was not possible. She died young, soon after the death of her mother. She wrote some books and librettos (for Dvořák).

Vítězslava Kaprálová (January 24,1915 Brno - June 6, 1940): Vítězslava Kaprálová's father, Václav, was a composer, and her mother was a singer. Kaprálová herself was the first female Czech conductor as well as a prolific composer. As a 9-year-old, she wrote her first composition. She studied in Brno, concluding her non-musical studies in 1935. She continued to study music under some of the foremost composers, conductors, and musicians of her time. In the spring of 1940, she married the writer, Jiří Mucha, son of a famous painter, Alfons Mucha. Shortly after the evacuation of Paris before the German occupation, Kaprálová died on June 16, 1940 in Montpellier, France at age 25.

Magdalena Dobromila Rettigova born Artmannova (January 31, 1786 - August 5, 1845): Magdalena Dobromila Rettigova was the earliest female Czech writer who is generally known. Today she is remembered for her Cook Book (1826). Born into a middle-class family, her mother was widowed at 26, and visibly preferred her brother. So her childhood was not the happiest one. After her marriage, she went with B. Rajská-Čelakovská to help in the organizations česká Budeč and S Amerlingovou and with B. Němcovou founded an educational institute for girls.

Božena Němcová (1820-1862): Božena Němcová is the most famous female Czech writer. Born in or before 1820, she spent her youth in the country. Later she married a clerk and moved to Prague. The marriage was an extremely unhappy one. The stunning beauty had many friends and started to write bad poetry, and, later, fairy tales and short stories. Her book, Grandmother, is most venerated Czech book and was translated into more that 100 languages. She wrote it after the death of her beloved son, Hynek, and shortly before her own premature death in poverty.

Františka Plaminková (1845-1942): Františka Plaminková was a politician, a Senator, and a teacher. She founded řenská Národní rada (National Council of Women) and řenské domovy (a pension for single ladies).

Emma Destinová (Emílie Paulína Kittlovaá 1878-1930): Emma Destinová was a singer. Her Prague family supported her in her dream to become a singer. She had problem because she was not accepted in Prague, but, later, she was accepted in Germany. She returned home during the war, even taking some documents with her, but she was not permitted to travel abroad, except on the condition that she do some concerts for the Austrian army, which she rejected. After the war she was not popular because she seemed to be too much overweight according to the new fashion.

Klementina Hanušová (1845 Lvov -1918 Prague): Klementina Hanušová's father was a university professor and her mother was manager in charity works. One of the first female sports' teachers, she lead (1869-96) a gymnastic club of ladies and young ladies. After 1884, she worked with Dr Schwarz on special orthopedic training for girls.

Dora Hanušová (1841-1920): Klementina Hanušová's sister, Dora Hanušová, was a writer, a translator, and a friend of Eliška Krásnohorská. She helped in Výrobní spolek.

Zdenka Braunerová (1858-1934): Zdenka Braunerová, daughter of a well-to-do family, was supported in her painting by her mother. She was the first real female Czech painter. She was not allowed study in Pragues, so she studied in France. She had the supported of many another artists.

Alice Garrique Masaryková (1879-1966): Alice Garrique Masaryková, a daughter of TomášGarrigue Masaryk, lead Czech Red Cross, paid for řenské domovy with furniture, and was one of the first Czech women with high school education. She never married. During the WW I, she was in prison as a hostage and after WW II she emigrated.

Helena Procházková born Koželuhová (1907-1967): Helena Procházková was a niece of the Čapeks brothers by one of their sister's. Her husband was a professor. During WW II her husband worked against the fascists, after she tried to escape what he did in 1940. She stayed with their children in Bohemia, was arrested, let go free, arrested again, and sent to Terezín. She was saved only by the great courage of a family friend, J. Wild. She married him and moved with him to Slowakia. They were arrested after a time, but they was released. After the war she returned for political reasons to her husband, worked as a journalist. Her husband was a minister. After February, along with Wild, they tried to escape on skis. Wild and their 17-year-old daughter were caught. Since 1951, she worked for Radio Free Europe. She died in Boston.

Sophie Polipská (1833-1897): Sophie Polipská was a sister of Karolína Světlá and a writer in her own right. She tried help to poor girls. She signed a petition for equal pay for female teacher that later caused her many problems.

Anna Pammrová (1860-1945): Anna Pammrová was a friend of O. Březina, as well as, a writer.

Bohuslava Rajská (Antoie Rajsová 1817-1852): Bohuslava Rajská was a poet and a Czech patriot.

Milena Jesenská (1896-1944): Milena Jesenská graduated from the gymnasium Minerva and became a journalist.

Klára Červenková (1873-1945): Klára Červenková, a graduated of Minerva, later became one of the first her female teachers there in the years 1908-24. She also worked in řenská národní rada.

Františka Zemínová (1882-1962): Františka Zemínová, a Czech politician ( Social Democracy), supported the independence of Czechoslovakia from the Austro-Hiungarian Empire in 1905 and was prohibited from going to Prague. Between the wars, she was active in řenská rada and Social Democracy. In the same manner, she was active after WW II until the communist victory.

Milada Petříková (1895-1985): Milada Petříková, a 1914 graduate of Minerva in 1914, became the first female Czech architect in 1921. She built what is today called the Činoherní klub in Prague, which was before WW II the seat of a women's organization.

Josefa Náprstková (1838-1907): Josefa Náprstková, a member of a Prague middle-class family, married Vojta Naprstek and helped him with his activities, especially with running the American Ladies Club.

Anna Honzáková (1875-1940): Anna Honzáková, a1895 graduate of Minerva, went on to become the first female Czech physician in1902.

Anna Bayerová (1852-1924): Anna Bayerova studied in Switzerland to become one of the second female Czech physicians. Yet, for some years after her return, she had no job. Eventually, she found employment as a state doctor for Muslim women in Bosnia.

Vilma Mesnerová born Hrdličková: Vilma Mesnerová was a journalist and pacifist.

Marie Leopoldine Deutch born Scharf (1882-1979): Marie Leopoldine Deutch became the first Czech woman member of parliament in 1920.

Charlota Garrique Masaryk.(1850-1923): Born in the US into an old family, she met Tomas Masaryk in Liepzig were she studied music. Her future husband studied there, too. They discussed Mill´s "On the Subjection of Women" and in the next year, they married. She liked Prague, wrote a book about the composer Smetana, and was a suffragist, as well as, a member of the socialist party. During WW I, she was ill, her husband who was living in England was condemned to death in absentia, her son (a painter) died, her second son was at the Austrian front, one daughter was abroad with her father, the other daughter was in prison as a hostage. After the war, she rejected the title "Mrs. President" with the words "I am a Mrs. Masaryk, the president is my husband." She died shortly after war.

Anna Horynová (1898-1976): In 1922 she was the first female alumni of Agricultural University

Renáta Tyršová (July 31, 1854- February 22, 1937): Renáta Tyršová, born into a Prague middle-class family, made a marriage of convenience with a university professor who was older than she. He shortly after their marriage, he died in an accident and she continued his work to propagate sports. She helped give girls access to sports.

Anna Lauermanová-Mikšová (1852-1932): Anna Lauermanová-Mikšová, depressed following a divorce, was advised to be more active so she started hosting a salon. She wrote under the pen name Felix Téver. She supported the writer Julius Zeyer. Her daughter was also a writer.

Honorata Zapová born Wišnevska: Honorata Zapová married Czech historian Zap, moved to Prague with him, and tried to change a bit of Prague's society which caused her to have many enemies. She hosted what is called sometimes a first salon. It was not salon in the sense of the world, but it was a regular meeting of family friends over her famous black coffee. In 1850s she tried to lead a school for girls. But she died soon thereafter.

Milada Horáková born. Králová (1901-1950): Milada Horáková, Czech lawyer who worked years for řenská národní rada, married in 1927, and gave birth to a daughter in 1933. After the death of Plamínková, Horáková replaced her.

Teresa Nováková: Teresa Nováková, a Czech writer who worked for řenské listy, she herself wrote a book Slavín českých žen, which is one of the first books about Czech women's history.

Kunětická - Viková: Kunětická - Viková was a Czech writer who was elected in 1914 to a the Czech diet (Parliament) as a first deputy. She never took the seat because of the strong opposition and because of WW I.

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Created and maintained by Sunshine. Copyrighted by Lenka Vytlacilova, 1999. You have Sunshine's permission to copy and disseminate this document as long as it is attributed to Lenka Vytlacilova and Sunshine's URL appears on the document.

last updated April 1999