Elevate at 21C

Textual Portraits

by Leslie Nichols

My primary medium is the manual typewriter, a tool once central to secretarial work, which I repurpose to create portraits of women from appropriated and original texts. In my series Textual Portraits, I explore the historical contexts of American women’s lives and the legacies that shape our social heritage.

Each work begins with the image of a contemporary woman, often a scholar, artist, or student, who made a lasting impression on me. I then select a classic social or creative text that resonates with her life and type the words into her likeness. By interlocking historic language with contemporary imagery, I aim to convey the context of time, identity, and culture.

These portraits highlight the weight of words and suggest that our lives are shaped not only by our thoughts, but also by the social frameworks in which we live.

List of Works

Chlese (Hurston 1937), Typewritten words of Zora Neal Hurston, 2024, 12 x 12”

Loli (Spencer 1912), Typewritten words of Anna Garlin Spencer, 2012, 9.5 x 9.5,”

Aisha (Poullain De La Barre 1673), Typewritten Words of François Poullain de la Barre, 2024, 12 x 12”

Siobhan (Parliament 1882), Typewritten words from the Married Women's Property Act, 2016, 9.5 x 9.5”

Rachel (Astell 1694), Typewritten words from "A Serious Proposal to the Ladies," 2021, 12 x 12,”

Michelle (Wollstonecraft 1792), Typewritten words of Mary Wollstonecraft, 2016, 9.5 x 9.5”

*sizes are for unframed works. Framed measurements are 16 x 16” and 19 x 19”

About Leslie Nichols

Leslie Nichols uses found and original text to create portraits layered with meaning. She is well known for her works created on manual typewriters which are featured in Typewriter Art: A Modern Anthology and The Art of Typewriting. Her typewritten work are presented alongside internationally known and respected printmakers in the 2025 publication Reframing Women Printmakers.

Her professional accomplishments include artist residencies and awards such an NEA Studio Residency Grant from Women’s Studio Workshop and artist grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, the Great Meadows Foundation, and the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation. Nichols’ work is featured in prominent collections at institutions like the Library of Congress, Yale University, and Liquitex artist materials.

Nichols teaches at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College in Bowling Green, Kentucky. She earned a BFA from Fontbonne University and an MA from Western Kentucky University.