Martha Gellhorn 20th Century war reporter, travel writer and trail-blazer as a freelance female journalist embedded among men in conflict zones. Not only that but she cut a sartorial figure doing so, and conveniently left a photo trail of evidence in some pretty remarkable places with remarkable people.
Whatever your take on looking good in the field, Gellhorn was well known for her insistence on glamour and well-cut attire no matter where she was. Despite this tall order on her part she must have had some great strategy for packing--she never looks out of place in these photos and occupies the same realm as the men do, right in the action.
The photo of her hunting, for instance; there is not much difference between dressing for a bird shoot or dressing to go birding. You want to be warm, keep your feet dry, and have room somewhere for your gear. She's got on a classic blazer, wool pants, boots and a leather strap hip bag. She is right out of a Filson catalog.
Gellhorn is very much a woman, but by no means marginalized because of dress or sex. These photos of her in the field show a woman in the thick of it and looking dazzling while doing so.
Martha Gellhorn, far left, in during the Sino-Japanese World War 1941. Photo courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum and Library.