Zora and Hughberta Steenson were feminists. They didn't consider themselves to be feminists, and would be quite annoyed to find themselves identified as such. However, each sister made her own way in life independently, declining opportunities to be supported and taken care of, choosing instead to be free to live and create on her own terms. Proudly and delightfully feminine, both sisters at times took on "male" occupations. During the Second World War, Hughberta served in the United States Marine Corps, while Zora wielded a rivet gun building gliders for the nation's defense. Femininity implied serious impediments for an artist in the last century, and regrettably still does, but Zora and Hughberta persevered, producing pretty amazing bodies of work. The intelligence of Hughberta Eldeen's abstracts and cubisms, Zora Mary's masterful use of color to manipulate space and convey emotion evidence lives lived not always comfortably, but with purpose, with passion. They may not have thought of themselves as feminists, but they defied convention and social expectations of women; they were totally responsible for themselves and their welfare and they produced great work. They were feminists.
