From the museum’s earliest exhibitions to its latest collection endeavors, the Autry has continually focused on amplifying Women of the West voices. Its latest effort is the Revealing Women in the Archives initiative, which includes the installation of the What’s Her Story: Women in the Archives exhibition. The initiative and exhibition not only reinforce the Autry’s commitment but also complement a proliferation of online women’s history resources created by the museum’s education, programs, media, and library and archives departments.  

Blogs: 

The Revealing Women in the Archives blog stories provide a deeper dive into the figures behind the What’s Her Story exhibition, such as: 

• What’s Her Story: Roll Call 

• Women’s Stories Found in the Native Voices Archives 

• Excavating Stories of Women Archaeologists in the Archive   

• Roam From Home With Caroline Boeing Poole and Other Women Wanderers 

• The Red Cross Shop of Los Angeles: Community Involvement in a Time of Crisis 

Other historic women’s stories, mostly featuring Autry collections, are also the focus of these blogs and include screen writer Frances Kavanaugh, women of the suffrage movement, and the cooks of Comidas Mexicanas. 

Click here to the see the full list of Revealing Women in the Archives blog stories. 

Autry “Women of the West” Education Resources 

• Women in the American West Webinar — Learn how women creators and decision makers were an important part of the American West despite their lack of recognition in portrayals of the West throughout time. Focusing on six women from various time periods and backgrounds, students will analyze objects from the Autry Museum’s collections that tell these women’s stories.  

• Women of the West Lesson — In this YouTube video, explore the ways in which women have long continued to shape the American West; explore and celebrate the contributions by women across history; and be inspired to look for women’s stories in your own life.  

• Women of the West Digital Tour — Be inspired to look for women’s stories in your own life and discover the ways in which women have shaped and continue to shape the West; celebrate the contributions of women weavers, painters, sculptors, musicians, cowgirls, homesteaders, sharpshooters, and activists. 

• Women’s Suffrage in the West Lesson — Includes a Student Packet, accompanying Teacher Guide, and State Suffrage Cards that focus on where women won the right to vote in the West; when and how women won the right to vote in the West; and how equality for women beyond the right to vote was not guaranteed.  

Special Events and Programs 

In October 2020, the What’s Her Story exhibition inspired Versos y Besos: The Anthrophony of Manuela Garcia, a collaborative project between scholars, artists, and activists. Manuela Garcia was a local Los Angeles resident and musician. Her life and work are further discussed in an Autry Artist Salon and an Artist Conversation with the Verso y Besos group. Other recorded events at the Autry include conversations with Native artists, community groups, and scholars. Some highlights include: 

• Trailblazer: Delilah Beasley 

• Artist Salon With Tammy Garcia 

• What is a Western? Interview Series: When Women Wrote Westerns 

• Route 66 Women: The Untold Story of the Mother Road 

More Autry Programs that examine the lives of women throughout the West can be seen on the Autry’s YouTube channel.  

What’s Her Story Videos 

Through a series of videos, the Autry’s Head of Research Services and Archives, Liza Posas, unpacks the archives and highlights the behind-the-scenes (and often unseen) work of those who process the primary sources that lead to the heart of every story.