travels of two women and their erotic adventures. Penrose was interested in female mysticism, Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, alchemy and the occult. In 1929, during a trip to Egypt, she met the Spanish archaeologist and professor of philosophy , knows as Count Galarza de Santa Clara, a master of the esoteric, and made several visits to his ashram in India. She studied Sanskrit while in India. In 1936 she made an extended visit to India with the poet and painter Alice Paalen (later Alice Rahon). They become very close and their relationship is shown in their poetry from 1936 to about 1945. It is believed that the two had a relationship while in India based on the lesbian attributes present in their work at that time. After their trip in India, they didn't see each other again. From 1937, she started writing on lesbianism, always with the same lovers: Emily and Rubia. This dominates Martha's Opéra (1945), and Dons des Féminines (1951). Penrose's work was admired by Paul Éluard, who wrote prefaces for her first collection Herbe à la lune (1935) and Dons des féminines (1951). The works in Dons des féminines were greatly inspired by Alice Rohan. She also knew the surrealist poet André Breton. She collaborated on a few pieces including London Bulletin, VVV, Dyn, and Free Unions. Collage In the 1940s, Penrose made surrealist collages. Dons des Féminines (1951) combines her collages and poetry. One of her collages is The Real Women, 1938. Penrose's collage artwork utilizes formal elements of Surrealism while disapproving of the conceptual aspects of Surrealist art, most often in relation to gender roles. She was most outspoken about the brutality and misogyny sometimes depicted by Surrealists and was highly critical of certain figures within the movement, such as Max Ernst, who was also notable for his use of collage as a medium. Her husband, Roland Penrose, was a primarily visual artist who was a notable figure within the Surrealist movement while associating Valentine Penrose with other Surrealist artists. Much of Valentine Penrose's art was created using traditional art and collage images which were sourced from common publications such as journals, catalogues and books. Her portfolio includes various collages and a collage novel entitled Dons des Féminines, which incorporated her literary background in its composition. Dons des Féminines has been called the "archetypal surrealist book" since it uses compositional elements that are expected of