Most people assume that women did not break into the male-dominated art world until the women’s movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. Yet in the fine arts, women have been steadily working for gender equality since the 1500s. Tate Britain’s “Now You See Us,” explores the overlooked role of women in European art history. Through 150 works by revolutionary creators such as the 17th-century portrait painter Mary Beale and the 19th-century battle-scene artist Elizabeth Butler, the show demonstrates that women have found ways to be present in the old-boys club of British painting for much longer than many of us realize. And they weren’t painting still lifes in their parlors. Women artists have put their stamp on portraiture, historical scenes, and even the nude. —Lucy Horowitz