ABSTRACT
The end of the First World War brought new opportunities for women to follow their own careers and gave greater freedom to explore and express their sexuality. During the war many women had had to take over much of the work and responsibilities of men. Though at first forced, this emancipation turned into conscious self-liberation for many women. In several European countries women gained the right to vote and there were campaigns for birth control and generally broader attitudes to questions of sexuality. The New Woman was born, whose progressive identity often involved having short hair, wearing slacks, ties and shirts, and smoking cigarettes. If the reality of social and economic equality was still far off, at least it could be implied by outward appearance. Images of the New Woman were drawn by artists including Djuna Barnes, Tamara de Lempicka, and Jeanne Mammen.
