Dr Jennifer Taylor holds a PhD in Art and Intellectual History from The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London. An exhibited fine artist, she earned her MFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, with her work featured in exhibitions at the Boston Cyclorama and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Her academic interests encompass feminist studies, visual culture, children’s literature, and intellectual history. By blending academic research with material exploration, she emphasises the importance of understanding creative works through the perspective of their makers. This approach includes examining how creative decisions are made. Dr Taylor enjoys interdisciplinary collaboration, uncovering unique interdisciplinary perspectives, and creating events that connect academia with the broader public.
At CBCP, Dr Taylor is developing a postdoctoral project titled Constructing Eve in Word and Image: A Forgotten Tale by Charles Perrault. This research explores how material culture shapes and defines gender representation, focusing on a lesser-known work by the canonical children’s author. By creating artefacts at the University of Reading’s Historical Presses Workshop and analysing primary sources housed in the university’s Archives and Special Collections, she investigates how J.B. Coignard (printer), C. Simonneau (engraver), and Noël Coypel (painter) collaboratively depicted Eve in Perrault’s Adam, ou la création de l’homme (1697). Comparative analysis places the work within the broader context of gender representation in 17th-century French publishing, contrasting Coignard’s contributions with those of contemporaries such as Antoine Dézallier and Gérard Edelinck. Her project illustrates how material processes shaped portrayals of women in Early Modern fairy tales and continue to influence gendered narratives in children’s literature today.
Her CBCP research builds on her dissertation, As Above, So Below: Women in the Worldview and Studio Practice of Charles Perrault, now under contract with Peter Lang. This work examines Perrault’s perspective on women through his artistic contributions to the cultural ministry of Louis XIV, expanding beyond his popular fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. By broadening the scope of enquiry, her research integrates Early Modern Studies, Feminist Studies, and Art History, offering a comprehensive view of this influential writer’s engagement with women and the arts.
More information: https://www.jenniferdavistaylor.com