Participant Info

First Name
Lucy Jane
Last Name
Santos
Affiliation
Independent Scholar
Website URL
www.lucyjanesantos.com
Keywords
science, cosmetics, beauty, radium, uranium, electricity, health, leisure
Additional Contact Information

Personal Info

Photo
About Me

Specialising in the late 19th and early 20th century Lucy Jane Santos is a freelance historian and consultant examining the crossroads of health, leisure and beauty with science and technology.

After completing a BA in Egyptian Archaeology and a MA in Museum and Heritage Management Lucy worked for several private members clubs and societies including The Arts Club, the Authors’ Club, The Gourmet Society and the International Wine and Food Society.

She has been a judge for the Historical Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Crown, the recipient of the Stephen Joseph Research Award and was the Non-Fiction Writer In Residence for the Stay-at-Home! International Literature Festival. She is a founder of the Art Deco Society UK and co-founder of the Cosmetic History and Makeup Studies Network.

Lucy has appeared as a contributor on TV and radio, and her historical research has been featured by History Today, BBC History RevealedJezebel, LitHub, New York Post, Vogue, and on the BBC2 documentary, Makeup: A Glamorous History. Her most recent project is as Creative Consultant for the documentary Obsessed With Light a film that tells the story of the performance artist Loïe Fuller.

Lucy’s debut book was Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium (Icon: 2020, Pegasus: 2021) and was shortlisted for the 2021 BSHS Hughes Prize, for books that bring scholarship to new readers by capturing the public imagination while conforming to rigorous standards of academic research. Her next book, Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium is out in July in the UK and November in the US.

Recent Publications

Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium (Icon Books Ltd: 2020, Pegasus Books: 2021)

Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium (Icon Books Ltd: 2024, Pegasus Books: 2004)

Media Coverage
Country Focus
United Kingdom
Expertise by Geography
United Kingdom, United States
Expertise by Chronology
Ancient, 19th century, Modern, 20th century, 21st century
Expertise by Topic
Food History, Gender, Material Culture, Medicine, Museums, Public History, Science, Sports, Technology, Women, World War I, World War II