Gerritsen collection on Women's Studies - A Resource Guide

1
Women’s Rights, Health,
Education, and
Employment in the
Gerritsen Collection: A
Resource Guide
Compiled by Dawn Kaczmar

2
Women Rights, Health, Education, and Employment in the Gerritsen
Collection
This resource guide features primary source content from the Gerritsen
Collection of Aletta Jacobs. Students will have the opportunity to explore
archival material across four units: women’s rights, women’s health and
medicine, educational and conduct literature for women, and women’s
employment. This guide primarily features content from nineteenth-century
England, as well as several documents from the eighteenth and seventeenth
centuries to demonstrate the continuity and development of forms and tropes in
genre. This guide has been designed to help students create connections across
each unit. For instance: most of these texts are written for a female readership:
is that readership constructed differently between the genres? Between the
readers of domestic health manuals versus essays on women becoming medical
professionals? The small unit on women’s rights is designed to give students
some background on basic laws affecting women’s lives. The second unit is on
health and medicine and features texts on women’s and children’s health and
domestic home medicine manuals. The third unit contains texts on women’s
education and conduct and is designed to demonstrate the continuity between
the two genres. The fourth unit is on women’s employment and features census
materials, essays on women’s employment, and employment guides.

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Women’s Rights
Anonymous: The Laws Respecting Women, As They Regard Their
Natural Rights, Or Their Connections and Conduct: in which their
interests and duties as daughters, wards, heiresses, spinsters, sisters, wives,
widows, mothers, legatees, executrixes, &c. are ascertained and
enumerated . . . London : J. Johnson , 1777.
http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-
2004&res_dat=xri:gerritsen&rft_dat=xri:gerritsen:bookrec:Gerritsen-G1643
The Laws Respecting Women outlines laws that affect women, especially as
it relates to titles, marriage, property, and children.
Questions:
⦁ How are laws, conduct, and morality tied together in this text?
⦁ What is the effect of the anecdotal examples that are given?

4
Women’s Rights
4
Anonymous: Appeal to the Men of Great Britain in Behalf of
Women. London: Printed for J. Johnson and J. Bell, 1798.
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ritsen-G90
In this early attack on women's oppression, the author relies on
logic, as well as the Bible, to argue for women's rights and to
demonstrate society's misconceptions regarding women.
Questions:
⦁ What types of arguments does the author make for women’s
equality?
⦁ What types of allusions and references does she use? Are they
effective?

5
Health and Medicine
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Anonymous : The American Lady’s Medical Pocket-book, and Nursery-adviser:
containing rules for preserving the health of unmarried females, directions to
pregnant and lying-in women, and an account of their diseases: together with
instructions for the rearing of children from the hour of their birth: and an
account of the diseases of infancy. Philadelphia : J. Kay , 1833.
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The American Lady's Medical Pocket-book is a home medical handbook for women.
The book is split into sections: health for unmarried women, health for pregnant
women, health for infants, diseases of females, and diseases of infants.
Questions:
• Why do you think the book is categorized the way it is?
• What types of things did the author bring up that you may not considered part of
“health” before?
• Why do you think they’re included here?

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Health and Medicine
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Alcott, William A.: The Young Mother : or, Management of children in
regard to health. Boston: Light & Stearns , 1836.
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G40.3
The Young Mother is a domestic manual for mothers on child rearing and
health.
Questions:
• How does the author conceive of "health"?
• What types of things is health composed of?
• Is health solely what happens within the body?

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Health and Medicine
7
Anonymous: ”Quack medicines.” No. III.--Early
management of children. The Magazine of domestic
economy. Vol. 7 (1841) pg. 203-206.
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ec:Gerritsen-GP122_Volume_7-22
"Quack Medicines" is part of a series of magazine
articles. This one is dedicated to warning mothers against
giving their infants and children harmful medicines,
including opium and Godfrey's Cordial.
Questions:
• How does the author construct health as a moral issue?
• How does social class come up in the article?
• How is ethnicity and religion used?

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Health and Medicine
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“The first English School of Medicine for Women.” The
Alexandra Magazine & English Woman’s Journal. Vol. 1, Iss. 14
(1865) pg. 321-328.
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tsen-GP3_Volume_1_Issue_14-14
Journal article on the first medical school for women in England.
Questions:
• How does the article frame the benefits of a medical school
for women?
• How does it imagine women participating in medical care?

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Health and Medicine
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Morrill, Charles: The Physiology of Woman and Her Diseases from Infancy
to Old Age: including all those of her critical periods, pregnancy and
childbirth: their causes, symptoms, and appropriate treatment, with hygienic
rules for their prevention, and for the preservation of female health: also,
the management of pregnant and parturient women ...: to which is added a
treatise on womanhood and manhood, love, marriage, and hereditary
descent ... in three books--complete in one volume. Boston : J. Campbell,
1870.
Medical treatise on anatomy and diseases that affect women.
Questions:
• Who is the intended audience for this book?
• How does the introduction connect gender and health?
• Several of the books this guide, including this one, are organized by life
stages. Why do you think that is?

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Health and Medicine
1
Anonymous: ”Women and Medicine.” The Woman’s Journal. Vol.
10, Iss. 24, 1879. pg. 191.
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-GP205_Volume_10_Issue_24-5
Article written in a Boston periodical about women's role in
healthcare for the country.
Questions:
• How does Dr. Richardson frame women's role in healthcare?
• How do the surrounding articles and advertisements influence the
way we might read this article?

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Health and Medicine
Anonymous: “Hoe-handle Medicine.” The Woman’s Journal. Vol. 10,
Iss. 47, 1879. pg. 370-371.
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GP205_Volume_10_Issue_47-33
Article in a Boston periodical that presents a parable about men’s health.
Questions:
• What does the parable in this article say about health?
• Why might a parable about men’s health be featured in a woman’s
magazine?
• Do you think the same principle would have been applied to women?
• How do the surrounding articles on the page help inform how we read
this article?

12
Health and Medicine
Hamilton, Weston G.: A Compend of Domestic Medicine and
Household Remedies, with the treatment of diseases of adult
and infant ... Greensboro, N.C. : Phillips & Stout , 1887.
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sen-G1165.1
Domestic home health manual.
Questions:
• Why do you think domestic health manuals had such a long
history of popularity?
• How do manuals like this one help us historicize both the
body and healthcare?

13
Education and Conduct
Brathwaite, Richard: The English Gentleman, and the English Gentlewoman,
both in one volume couched, and in one modell portrayed : to the living glory of
their sexe, the lasting story of their worth : being presented to present times for
ornaments ; commended to posterity for presidents ; with a ladies love lecture and
a supplement lately annexed, and entitled The Turtles Triumph. London: Printed
by John Dawson, 1641.
Brathwaite's The English Gentleman, and the English Gentlewoman is an important
seventeenth-century conduct book. Gentleman is categorized into sections on youth,
disposition, education, vocation, recreation, acquaintance, moderation, and
perfection; while Gentlewoman is divided into sections on apparel, behavior,
complement, decency, estimation, fancy, gentility, and honor.
Questions:
• What type of advice does Brathwaithe offer?
• How does that advice differ by gender?
• Why might a document like this be important for researching social history?

14
Astell, Mary: A Farther Essay Relating to the Female-sex, containing six
characters, and six perfections: with the description of self-love: to which
is added, A Character of a Compleat Beau. London. Printed for A. Roper
and E. Wilkinson etc., 1696.
G103.2
Astell's seventeenth-century conduct book for women is organized by types
of "characters": the character of a coquette, of modesty, of hypocrites, of
piety, conceit, knowledge, etc.
Questions:
• What is the effect of distilling human behavior into the “characters”
that Astell presents here?
• How does Astell’s conduct book differ from Brathwaithe’s? How is it
similar?

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1
More, Hannah: Essays on Various Subjects : principally designed for young
ladies. London : printed for J. Wilkie, in St. Paul's Church-Yard, in the
Strand , 1777.
More argues that there are innate differences between men and women, and
that each gender has different strengths and weaknesses—an argument
Wollstonecraft and Macaulay would later dispute. Essays on Various Subjects
is both a conduct book and a book for life advice for women.
Questions:
• More writes: "The prevailing manners of an age depend more than we are
aware, or are willing to allow, on the conduct of women; this is one of the
principle hinges on which the great machine of human society turns."
What does she mean by this?

16
Wollstonecraft, Mary: Thoughts on the Education of Daughters: with
reflections on female conduct, in the more important duties of life.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, No. 72, St. Paul's Church-Yard,
1787.
G3150
Wollstonecraft argues that perceived differences between men and
women are due to the differences in the education that they receive.
Questions:
• Why does Wollstonecraft criticize the education that women receive
in England?
• What type of education does Wollstonecraft think women should
receive? Why?

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1
Macaulay, Catharine: Letters on Education: with observations on
religious and metaphysical subjects. London : Printed for C. Dilly, in
the Poultry, 1790.
G1079.4
Macaulay's Letters on Education argues that differences between men and
women are not innate, but rather due to differences in education.
Questions:
• How does Macaulay engage in a nature/nurture argument?
• Where does she land?
• What are some educational practices that Macaulay argues for?

18
Edgeworth, Maria: Practical Education. London : J. Johnson,
1798.
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n-G772.3
Written by Maria Edgeworth and her father, Richard Lovell
Edgeworth, Practical Education presents a theory of education that
draws from John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, William Godwin,
Joseph Priestly, and Catharine Macaulay, as well as the tradition of
the conduct manual. Edgeworth's treatise hinges on the importance
of early childhood experiences as formative events.
Questions:
• What are Edgeworth’s educational priorities?
• What are some of the goals of Edgeworth’s theory of
education?

19
More, Hannah: Strictures on the Modern System of Female Education:
with a view of the principles and conduct prevalent among women of
rank and fortune. New York: E. Duyckinck , 1813.
G1982
More’s second work in this guide. This text presents a theory of education
for women.
Questions:
• In what ways does Strictures differ from More’s Essays?
• How do her educational theories compare with Wollstonecraft,
Macaulay, and Edgeworth?

20
2
Lelia Westwood: “Conduct on the Street.” The Young Woman’s Journal.
Vol. 5, Iss. 6, 1894. pg. 281-285.
Article on public conduct published in The Young Woman’s Journal.
Questions:
• Given that this article was published in a journal for women, why do
you think the article also includes some information about proper
conduct for men?
• What information might the article be trying to convey to a female
reader by including their conduct rules for men?

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Employment
Great Britain. Poor Law Commissioners: Reports of Special Assistant Poor
Law Commissioners on the Employment of Women and Children in
Agriculture. London: W. Clowes , 1843.
Information about women and children who work in agriculture.
Questions:
• Are there any jobs on this list that are surprising to you?
• How does data like this help us understand rural and agricultural work life
for people in the nineteenth-century?

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Employment
“On the Obstacles to the Employment of Women.” The English Woman’s
Journal. Vol. 4, Iss. 24 (1860) pg. 361-375.
Article published in The English Woman’s Journal responding, in part, to the
1851 census on employment and what it means for women who want to work.
Questions:
• How does this article help us understand women’s attitudes toward work in
the nineteenth-century?
• What challenges did women face when seeking employment?

23
Employment
Drysdale, Charles R.: Medicine as a Profession for Women.
London: C. Tucker , 1870.
G736
Essay on women’s fitness for medical professions and how they might
contribute to the field.
Questions:
• How does Drysdale imagine women contributing to medicine?
• How might we think of this text alongside the domestic health
manuals for women?

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Employment
Huth, Alfred Henry: On the Employment of Women. London:
S. Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington , 1882.
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en-G1335
Huth deploys a myriad of arguments on why women shouldn’t
seek employment.
Questions:
• What are Huth’s arguments in this text?
• Does he deploy any arguments that you’ve seen before, in
contemporary conversations?

25
Employment
2
Census Statistics as Indicative of the Employment of Women in
London. The Englishwoman's Year Book and Directory, 1883.
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0101_0101
Government census of labor statistics by types
of employment.
Questions:
• Are there any occupations listed that surprised you?
• Are there types of employment that this census seemed to miss?
• What kind of new research questions does the census generate?
• How might this information be used in a larger project?

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Employment
Pfeiffer, Emily: Women and Work : an essay treating on the relation to
health and physical development, of the higher education of girls, and the
intellectual or more systematised effort of women. London: Trübner,
1888.
Pfeiffer argues that women should have more employment opportunities,
and education that will prepare them for professional employment.
Questions:
• What arguments against women working does Pfeiffer address in her
essay?
• How does she respond to them?

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Employment
2
Great Britain. Parliament, 1896. House of Commons.: A bill to limit the
hours of employment of women as bar assistants on premises where
intoxicating liquors may be sold for consumption on the premises.
London: Eyre and Spottiswoode , 1896.
Parliament bill calling for mandatory reduction in hours for women who
work in bars.
Questions:
• Why might a bill like this one be proposed to Parliament?
• What role does paternalism play here?
• How do laws like this affect women more broadly?

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Employment
Bateson, Margaret: Professional Women upon their Professions: Conversations.
London: H. Cox , 1897.
Professional Women Upon Their Professions features testimonies from nineteenth
century women about their work in professions such as acting, painting, education,
medicine, nursing, printing, domestic training, librarianship, and journalism.
Questions:
• Pick one or two profiles to focus on: how do they understand their profession?
• What kind of framework do they use to explain their employment?

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Employment
2
Philipps, Leonora: A Dictionary of Employments Open to Women:
With Details of Wages, Hours of Work, and Other Information.
London: The Women's Institute, 1898.
G2195
Informational text on the types of employment available to women,
along with brief information about qualifications and how to apply.
Questions:
• How do texts like these help us understand women’s professional
opportunities at the turn of the century?
• How might women have used a text like this to help navigate
employment?

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Employment
3
Berry, Thomas W: Professions for Girls. London: T.F. Unwin , 1909.
Professions for Girls outlines types of employment available to women along with
information about the profession and both interpersonal and professional
qualifications that are needed.
Questions:
• What kinds of assumptions does the author make about the types of
employment women are suited for?
• Did any of the qualifications surprise you? Which ones and why?
• How does this text differ from Leonora Philipps’s A Dictionary of
Employments Open to Women?
• Which one would be more useful to a woman looking for the job in the early
twentieth-century?

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