I went to the Brilliant Women exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery today. It 'explores the impact of the original 'Bluestocking Circle', a group of celebrated women writers, artists and thinkers who forged new links between gender, learning and virtue in eighteenth-century Britain. These women were not just brilliant, they were exceptional, both for their individual accomplishments and for breaking the boundaries of what women could be expected to undertake or achieve.' The group also included a number of men who were willing to engage with the debate. Some of the names were familiar - like Hannah More and Mary Wollstonecraft - but most were new to me. You can read more about it online.

Linked to the exhibition was a series of portraits by Bryan Adams (yes, the 'everything I do' man is now a photographer) of modern day muses - exceptional women who have enabled success for and inspired those around them - including Annie Lennox, Vivienne Westwood, Irene Khan who is the Secretary General of Amnesty International and Kanya King who is the force behind the MOBO awards. You can download a pdf version of the images from the sponsors, BlackBerry. There's also a Times Online article with some of the images and interviews with some of the women. I loved these pictures - there's something energising about looking into the faces of these strong women.