This mixed media piece reimagines the 1589 execution of Joan Prentice – also spelled Prentis – alongside Joan Cunny and Joan Upney; three Essex women accused and executed for witchcraft. Historical accounts describe them as consorting with ‘familiars’, often grotesque or monstrous animals symbols used at the time to justify their persecution. In this work, I’ve replaced those fearsome beasts with playful colourful stickers; unicorns, a bird, a mouse and a lizard – a pop art metaphor to challenge the narrative. These women were not monstors, they were often older, marginalised, and misunderstood. Joan Prentice in particular spoke of a ferret named ‘Satan’ not as a demon but more likely a pet in the language available to her under pressure.
By swapping fear for whimsy, horror for innocence, this piece exposes how hysteria and misogyny turned ordinary women into symbols of evil. The stickers don’t just decorate – they restore humanity. These so called witches were just women. Often poor, often alone.
