We all reach breaking point at one point or other. This painting by Maureen Scott perfectly captures the moment when a toddler tantrum reaches peak rage—child emitting a piercing shriek, exhausted mother gazing wearily at the viewer. The painting is part of a new show, The Four Ages of Woman, at Bethlehem Museum of the Mind in London. The show traverses depictions of female mental health from the nineteenth century to the present day, which take in women’s experiences from childhood through to old age. Many of the works “are the product of the creative vision of female artists whose wellbeing has been severely affected by adverse life experiences,” says the gallery.
