Femeile și ex-libris-ul
Women and Ex Libris

Summary/Abstract: The emergence of ex libris coincides with the emergence of print and cheap books. Most of the ex-libris of the 15th–17th centuries belong to men, while women’s ex libris are extremely rare. This may be explained by the socio-economic and judicial status of women in that period. In the society of the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern era, literate women and owners of libraries were few. The differences between the two genders faded away only by the end of the modern era. This article analyses features of the first ex libris that belonged to women. These are different from those of men due to the drawings’ themes and the slogans or inscriptions below. At first, the ex libris belonged to noble women but starting with the 17th–18th centuries there were more and more ex libris of women from the middle class or relatively wealthy. There are few studies dedicated to this topic, which is why it would be significant to shed light on this neglected research area. The article highlights the fact that, despite being at a disadvantage from a social perspective, women became owners of libraries when they had the chance.

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