History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

Collection: Mistresses of Disguise

Khawlah bint al-Azwar (7th century)

Warrior Poet of Early Islam

When Byzantine forces captured her brother, this warrior poet donned the outfit of a black knight and went on a bloody rescue mission.

Harriet Tubman (1822-1913)

The American Moses

Escaped slave turned slave rescuer turned plantation-torching Union spymaster, she was part Moses, part Joan of Arc, part Spider-Man.

Chiyome Mochizuki (16th century)

The Widow Who Ran a Ninja Academy

Recruited widows, orphans, and prostitutes into an all-woman ninja spy group, the largest in Asia at the time.

Josefina Guerrero (1918-1996)

Leper Spy of the Philippines

Let her leprosy go untreated for years to make herself the perfect spy in the Japan-occupied Philippines - soldiers wouldn't touch her, so she could slip right through.

Mary Lacy (1740-1801)

The First Female Shipwright

This self-described “undutiful daughter” posed as a man to become the world’s first female shipwright.

Pope Joan (9th century)

The Pope Who Gave Birth

This pope was largely assumed to be male until she gave birth in the midst of a procession - and largely assumed to be factual until the 13th century.

Mary Bowser (19th century)

The Spy in the Confederate White House

Brilliant undercover spy who posed as a slave to spy on – and attempt to burn down – the Confederate White House.

The Valiant Ladies of Potosi (17th century)

Teen Vigilantes of the 1600s

Eustaquia de Souza and Ana Lezama de Urinza, two sword-and-gun-toting lesbian teen vigilantes – 17th century Bolivia’s answer to Batman.

Gracia Mendes Nasi (1510-1569)

Savior of the Jews

Jewish businesswoman who saved thousands of Jews from the Inquisition by smuggling them out of the country.

Jane Dieulafoy (1851-1916)

The Archaeologist Who Became a Fashion Icon

A phenomenally successful archaeologist who became a fashion icon for wearing men’s clothing.