The Icelandic Women's History Archives was founded on New Year's Day 1975 at the home of Anna Sigurðardóttir (December 5, 1908 – January 1996) at Hjarðarhagi 26. She was the first director of the Archives for about 20 years and was responsible for its establishment together with Else Mia Einarsdóttir and Svanlaug Baldursdóttir, librarians.

Anna began collecting sources on women's history in 1946, when she was a teacher, housewife and women's rights activist in Eskifjörður. At first, the collection was haphazard. Anna jotted down notes on scraps of paper that were at hand, like the paper on the outside of a fish. The idea to establish a museum came much later, or in 1968, under the influence of Nordic women's historians.

In parallel with her work as director of the Icelandic Women's History Archives, Anna Sigurðardóttir conducted research into women's history. One of her major works is the book Vinna kvenna á Íslandi í 1100 ár  Women's Work in Iceland for 1100 Years) from 1985. As the title suggests, the book deals with the diverse jobs that women in Iceland have done since the settlement to the present day. In 1986, Anna received an honorary doctorate from the University of Iceland, the first Icelandic woman to do so.

A link to the exhibition WE ARE MANY