Did you ever cut a linoleum block in art class? While rolls of linoleum were used for floor covering from the 1860s, artists only began to use the material about 1910. Pieces of linoleum, sometimes mounted on wood blocks, were quick to cut and offered a readily available material for making bold lines for prints. The material took on a useful role in art education, and many students from the 1930s to today first learned about printmaking from cutting and inking linoleum blocks, also called linocuts.

Major artists including Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Roy Lichtenstein made linoleum cuts. You've probably heard of them, but it's possible you're less familiar with Margaret Taylor Burroughs and Elizabeth Catlett. For Women's History Month, here's a closer look at their work.