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Clothes Make the Woman: William H. Walker’s Critiques of 1890s Fashion and Feminism in Life Editorial Cartoons
In the 1850s, women’s rights activists attempted to popularize a new fashion, known as “bloomers” because of one of its best-known advocates, Amelia Bloomer. The summer of 1851 saw scores of women wearing these loose-fitting pants inspired by Turkish pantaloons. Suffragettes were some of the most passionate enthusiasts of the new style, but soon felt…
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On Display: The Public Lives of 20th-Century American Women
By April C. Armstrong and Amanda Ferrara, exhibition curators Men, especially political leaders, are usually assessed on their professional records. Women, no matter how professional they may be, are often judged on their personal lives. –Brenda Feigan Fasteau and Bonnie Lobel, New York Magazine, December 20, 1971 Visitors to Mudd Library will notice a new…
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World War II “Trainwomen” of the Long Island Railroad
In 1942, The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) took the unprecedented step of hiring women as engine cleaners. World War II’s labor shortages had opened new doors for women, especially in the transportation industry. The engine cleaners performed well, so the LIRR hired many more women for positions previously held only by men, dubbing them “trainwomen.”…
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“Make This World Safe for the Babies”: The Liberty Loan Committee’s Appeal to American Women
Exactly a century ago this summer, the United States began borrowing money from its own citizens. World War I brought with it the need for dramatic increases in government spending, and appealing to patriotism was one way to find the funding. The Liberty Loan Committee, one of the largest committees in American history, organized highly…
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This Week in Princeton History for April 3-9
In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a trespasser is found cooking eggs, the campus mourns Martin Luther King, Jr., and more. April 3, 1958—While out of town on a trip with the team, Princeton University baseball trainer Fred “Bobo” Holmes…
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History of Women at Princeton University
Written by Vanessa Snowden For much of its history, Princeton University had the reputation of being an “old-boys’ school.” Starting in the fall of 1969, Princeton became co-educational, and nine women transferred into the Class of 1970, with slightly greater numbers in the two subsequent classes. Women who matriculated as freshmen in 1969 graduated in…
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She Roars. We Record.
The second round of Mudd Library hosting a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon focused on creating and editing Wikipedia articles relating to Women at Princeton.
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