PHOTOGRAPHER Lucy Sewill has exhibited and published widely and has work in the National Portrait Gallery. Her portraits of leading actresses are currently on show at Dorset Museum and Art Gallery in Dorchester, until 28th April.
Visible Women is a striking and timely series including Juliet Stevenson, Dame Harriet Walter, Dame Meera Syal, Julie Graham, Dawn Hope, Sarah Parish, Hermione Norris, Indira Varma and Nina Sosanya.
Exhibited in the museum’s Alice Ellen Cooper Dean Community Space, the collection is a compelling body of work that confronts issues of gender inequality and ageism within the acting and entertainment industries
Lucy Sewill is an internationally recognised photographer who is renowned for her psychologically perceptive portraits. She has photographed many of the world’s most recognisable figures — from rock stars and actors to royals and political leaders.
The current collection is inspired by the Acting Your Age campaign founded by Nicky Clark. The exhibition responds directly to the well-documented inequalities that persist within the acting profession. Opportunities for women in film, television and theatre diminish sharply in midlife, while complex, authentic stories about women remain under-represented on stage and screen.
Lucy Sewill says: “After nearly two decades behind the camera, I realised how under-represented women — particularly older women — were in my own work and across the industry. With roles for women dropping sharply at middle age, and stark inequalities in recognition and opportunity, the imbalance is clear. Visible Women is my response — a call for authentic representation and for women’s stories to be valued at every age.”
Since its inception in 2025, The Visible Women Collection has been exhibited at venues across the UK, receiving critical attention for its powerful celebration of talent, experience and resilience.
Pictured are Lucy Sewill and Juliet Stevenson, one of Britain’s most distinguished actors, celebrated for her extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as for a remarkable screen career (including Truly, Madly, Deeply). © Lucy Sewill