Going to Housekeeping refers to the rituals surrounding courtship, marriage, and the establishment of new households. You will want to note the ages at which marriage happened, and also the relationship between marriage and household establishment...these two things were not as closely allied as they are in our day. Note the degree to which marriage remained a financial arrangement, and the legal aspects, including those designed to protect women. New England (more particularly, Boston) became a center of self-help books for women establishing new households, and women’s magazines start to shape “taste” much as they do today.
A tasteful mid-nineteenth century parlor in Maine. The portrait is draped in mourning. Pictures are hung from a rail to avoid putting holes in the valuable wallpaper. Courting would have happened here, and young brides would have dreamed of establishing a similar parlor once going go housekeeping.
Pay some attention to the places whiere women shopped when Going to Housekeeping. (pp. 70-71). Some of those buildings might still be there, Take a peek at Google Maps to see what you can see. Later generations has more opulent environments like the Berkeley Buiilding, above. It is still with us, but doesn't look quite so impressive in the context of its new neighbors.
One had other shopping options, too, of course--especially towards the end of the 19th century and early 20th century when regional centers like Brattleboro, Vermont, saved one a long trip by train. Below is modern Main Street, see if you see anything which resembles the scene above.
Read, in Hansen,
Review Chapter 2. "I Never Forget What I Remember" pp. 29 - 51
Chapter 3, “Unbosom your Heart: Friendship and the Construction of Gender” pp. 52 - 78
Hansen’s observations in Chapter 3 explores a concept we neglect too often, in my humble opinion: Friendship. The idea of gender construction is interesting. More typically we think of gender as something we’re born with. You’ll notice, however, that what Hansen is interested in primarily is the way gender behavior is constructed. What kinds of expression of friendship and affection were tolerated and indeed encouraged in New England communities, and how were these expressions different depending on the gender involved.
Note that there are at least three different types of friendships to consider: friendships between women, friendships between men, and friendships between men and women.
Note, too, that there seem to be some class and race differences in the ways friendship was expressed.
Finally, think about what friendships mean to us today? Have our concepts of friendship and the value of friendship changed in any ways? How about the ways we express friendship? Compared to our subjects, what Would you do and what Wouldn't you do?
The course of true love or true friendship didn't always run true as this tale amply testifies. Clickl on the image to read the whole thing (have a hanky ready).
For Friday, November 11
Read, in Hansen,
Chapter 4, “Social Work: Visiting and the Creation of Community” pp. 79 - 113
Regarding Chapter 4, one of the things we observe is that friendships were formed and sustained through working together. Amongst the elite and members of the upper middle class these projects took place within the confines of the houses of neighbors. Hansen will look at the situation amongst men and women (though women, primarily) of the working classes. Do these patterns change significantly? What should we understand about the idea of “visiting”?. How does the transient labor of domestic workers and the intrusion of the factory system as it develops in larger communities affect the ability to make and hold friends?
The photograph at the left is of two women spinners working in the Lowell Mills in 1860. Some of the detail is lost in shrinking the size of the picture. Click on it to see it in its original size.
