A previous feature in this series focused on and illustrated early women at work. Today, I am trawling through my collections to show other occupations or callings of women after photography came about.

All-female complement in a 1930s wedding. Photo by The Grand Studio

An observation needs to be repeated: photographers rare­ly showed much interest in recording what women did. They generally ended faded out, with almost zero visibility.

Group photo of the First Holy Communion of girls in Marsa, 1933

One example: while images, including group photos, of priests, monks and friars are not scarce at all, those of nuns and sisters do not seem to survive in considerable numbers.

Pupils of the Sacred Heart Convent School, 1910 or earlier

Sisters of St Joseph. St Emilie de Vialar School, Sliema, 1910s

This instalment covers activities other than work, like entertainment and being entertained, religious commitment, games, keeping up with fashion, amateur theatricals, education and carnivals. Some sports too, but limited to genteel tennis, horse-riding and swimming on the relaxing and non-competitive side.

Group photo with women tennis players, 1930s

Some of these exercises also witness the stealthy rebellion of women who “did not know their place” – their place obviously being the kitchen and the bedroom, with rapid sallies outside for shopping in the market and devotions in church.

Wearing sight spectacles by women in public proved highly problematic. I have never seen one single group or solo pre-war photograph of a woman with glasses – vanity? Malta started challenging that taboo in the 1940s. And, it would have been deemed scandalous for women to smoke in public.

Men with cigarettes, pipes or cigars abound but you will have to wait for the war for a photo of Maltese women smoking.

As far back as records go, women took part in carnivals but generally as annexes or projections of their male partners. The 20th century saw the very first ‘outrageous’ all-women carnival companies.

The all-women ‘Vice-Versa’ carnival company, among the earliest, 1910s?

Home theatricals, all-women cast, c. 1920

The all-women Ivy Benson BBC band performing in Malta in 1948

Carnival women in ‘The Persians’, a mixed carnival company, late 1920s or later

Early fashion, and its evolution, was one endeavour in which male/female vanities ran neck to neck.

...and faux women. Cross-dressing entertainers in Grand Harbour, 1930s

Up to the Edwardian era, elegance still went hand in hand with modesty. After that, the two parted ways and attention-seeking nudity became progressively more daring and routine.

All images from the author’s collections.

Three ladies in elegant fashions, San Pawl tat-Tarġa, 1900