The seven Heritage Panels are large-scale hand-colored photo-and-text collages (ranging in size from 57 1/2 x 70 3/4” to 57 1/2 x 107”) that portray the lives of the mythical and historical women whose names are inscribed in the Heritage Floor of The Dinner Party. Judy Chicago, with the help of a team of researchers, selected 999 women from prehistory to the 20th century, whose example impacted women's history and the improvement of women's conditions. Hand-written on porcelain tiles, these names make up the physical and symbolic foundation for The Dinner Party.
Like the Heritage Floor, the names listed on the Heritage Panels are organized beneath their corresponding place setting. The 999 names are accompanied by biographical information, photographs of related art and artifacts, and images of many of the women. To contextualize the importance of their legacies, Chicago also included brief passages describing the circumstances against which women had to struggle for equity throughout history.
Photographic reproductions of the original Heritage Panels are on view in the Biographical Gallery.
