Read, in Beecher and Stowe, The American Woman's Home
IV. Scientific Domestic Ventilation (pp. 59 - 65)
V. Stoves Furnaces, and Chimneys (pp. 66 - 83)
I think this book is going to change your mind a bit about women in the mid-nineteenth century, or at least about the sisters who wrote the book. Look over the entire table of contents and you'll see why I think so. Not only does the book progress from a chapter on the Christian House to a chapter on "Scientific" ventilation but we won't get to things typically thought of as belonging to the "world of women" until next week. The kitchen stove (from chapter V.) was the latest thing in the day this book was new. Imaging cooking on it. Can you get a sense of what the labeled parts were for? Clicking on the image to the right will take you to a cook book full of "receipts" of the era. Put together a wonderful meal, and add it to your resource folder. I'm getting hungry thinking of this already.
Read, in Beecher and Stowe, The American Woman's Home
VI. Home Decoration (pp. 84 - 103)
VII.The Care of Health (pp. 104 - 112)
HAVING duly arranged for the physical necessities of a healthful and comfortable home, we next approach the important subject of beauty in reference to the decoration of houses. For while the aesthetic element must be subordinate to the requirements of physical existence, and, as a matter of expense, should be held of inferior con- sequence to means of higher moral growth ; it yet holds a place of great significance among the influences which make home happy and attractive, which give it a constant and wholesome power over the young, and contributes much to the education of the entire household in refinement, intellectual development, and moral sensibility.
It took Ms. Beecher and Mrs. Stowe, a good long time to get to the topics we have considered stereotypical of women's roles in the house and the home. I think this is not accidental on their part.
Considering Chapter VI, you may want to think of several things. First, why do they think that the decoration of the interior of the house to be far more important than the decoration of the exterior? In fact, you'll see that they can be quite critical about the amount of money spent on house exteriors. Some reasons they state, some you may be able to infer. Second, note that they emphasize the economics of interior decoration, and give several suggestions about how to create the right kind of interior without breaking the bank. Here, again, the illustrations are important. Third, consider the role nature plays, directly in their ideas of home decor. Any ideas why?
Men had a role to play in home decor as well--How much carpentry skills would the "men-folk" have to have?
You may enjoy taking a look at the botanical magazine to the right. It is English, but would have been available in the United States, at least on the East Coast in booksellers and the emerging public libraries. Note that there are colored illustrations, and how these may have stimulated the women who were reading The American Woman's Home.
It took Ms. Beecher and Mrs. Stowe, a good long time to get to the topics we have considered stereotypical of women's roles in the house and the home. I think this is not accidental on their part.
Considering Chapter VII, you may want to think of several things. First, why do they concern themselves so much with Health? Already it has been the topic of an earlier chapter. Second, this chapter is not about what one would think, given the era in which it was written and the stereotype we have about women. There will be a more typical treatment later in the book, but why this one? What is the strategy here? What do you think?
Read, in Beecher and Stowe, The American Woman's Home
VIII. Domestic Exercise (pp. 113 - 118)
IX.Healthful Food (pp. 119 - 137)
More advice about keeping healthy here. Given the lack of modern medicine for treating the ill, staying healthy may have been a very importing consideration as one strove to keep alive.
Considering Chapter VIII, there's more biology here. No one is going to ask you to draw muscles or anything like that. But it will be important to notice what the women think about "domestic exercise". Note that their concern seems to be for young persons, both men and women, and that "domestic exercise" isn't primarily talking about what would call "housework". Note too, what kinds of domestic exercise are considered appropriate, and what our authors seem to thing about those too lazy to exercise.
Considering Chapter XI, our ideas of a healthy diet have not changed entirely. Science will play a part: for example, wheat is considered more healthy than potatoes, as far as our authors are concerned. You probably won't want to read this after a full meal--it gets into some of the "nitty-gritty" of digestion. Would you want to let these two authors plan your meals? Why or why not?
Catherine Beecher (Left) and Harriet Beecher Stowe (right)
