Alexandri AB Alexandro

Alexandra ab Alexandro is just one of the many works Charlotte Gulliard printed in the 16th century in Paris. She edited and published works in various languages such as Latin. After marrying twice and outliving both husbands (who also worked in print), she established her own printing firm. She would proceed to print for more than 50 years. Around this time, the age of industrialization began swelling and warping conventional society, including gender norms. Gulliard was one of the few women who printed during her time in Paris, substantiating that the design profession was greatly inaccessible. The age of industrialization created an ironic vacuum that left space for women to join the workforce, but sucked out a lot of opportunity for women to advance professionally. The gendering of design expertise became an incredibly vital factor in establishing the cultural hierarchy of design and art today, serving as almost a code for the elite and a barrier for those marginalized communities. 

Contextual facts found on Five Hundred Years of Women's Work, Duke University Library.