An exhibition celebrating the vital role that women have played in saving lives at sea
On 2 March 2024, Women of the RNLI will open at the National Maritime Museum, London to mark the bicentenary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). The exhibition will celebrate the vital role that women have played in saving lives at sea, highlighting the work and success of women in a variety of roles throughout the RNLI’s 200-year history.
Women of the RNLI will feature a series of 42 photographs by Jack Lowe recently acquired by Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG). The portraits of women that volunteer for the RNLI will be displayed alongside their lifeboat station’s corresponding slipway, putting the landscape that these women operate in at the heart of their stories. The images form part of Lowe’s ongoing Lifeboat Station Project, an attempt to photograph all 238 operational RNLI lifeboat stations and crew members at each.
Alongside the portraits, the exhibition will include recorded oral histories from some of the sitters featured who share their experiences of life with the RNLI. Six histories have been collected during the creation of the exhibition which will also be available via the Royal Museums Greenwich website.
The exhibition is formed of three main sections. It will open with ' Fundraising and campaigning’ which explores how women have played a crucial role in ensuring the RNLI remains functional through their fundraising efforts. Second is the ‘RNLI crew’, the exhibition will consider the variety of RNLI roles and responsibilities that have been available to women throughout its history. Lastly is the third section, ‘Equipment and training’ looking at the range of specialised lifeboats, launch and recovery apparatus and training used by the RNLI today.
Laura Boon, Lloyd’s Register Foundation Senior Curator: Contemporary Maritime, said,
‘Women have always been at the heart of the RNLI from its very beginning, although women weren’t part of the crew until the 1960s, they played a vital role in a myriad of ways such as fundraising and even launching the lifeboats during emergency callouts. As the RNLI celebrates its 200th Anniversary, it is a wonderful opportunity to highlight women’s roles both past and present.’
Women of the RNLI: 2 March 2024 – 1 December 2024
Further Information: National Maritime Museum
Image: Women of Aberystwyth RNLI lifeboat station, 24th September 2016,Jack Lowe Photo: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London