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The Glory of Woman: Prescriptive Literature, 1860 - 1869
- Croly, Jane Cunningham. Jennie Juneiana: Talks on Women's Topics. Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1864.
A treasury of “simple thoughts in the pretentious form of a book.” Essays include “How to Lean on a Gentleman’s Arm,” “Lady Shoppers and Male Clerks,” “A Quiet Day at Home,” and “Strawberries and Women.”
- Cross, Andrew Boyd. Woman – Man’s Help-Meet. Baltimore: Sherwood & Co., 1867.
Cross argues that education helps women perform their duties as wives and mothers: “How high and excellent; and almost above everything else in importance, must be the training and education of [woman] for the true end of her being.”
- Cunningham, Duncan. The First Course of Calisthenics and Deportment: simplified for the nursery and preparatory schools. London: S.M. Haughton, 1861.
These health-promoting exercises are “especially adapted for young ladies, from four years old and upwards.” With detailed instructions and diagrams.
- Eliot, William Greenleaf. Lectures to Young Women. Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1867.
“The pleasantness and comfort of home is the machinery with which woman works…for the education of the heart, [and] for purifying the character, of each member of her family.”
- The Lady’s Friend [serial]. Philadelphia: Deacon & Peterson, 1869.
“[T]he position of helpmeet, though not the most prominent, is as useful as any in the world. It is the one which most women in one way or another have to hold, and it is one for which they all should be carefully prepared.” This women’s serial combines fiction, fashion, recipes, gardening tips, and short essays.
- Mill, John Stuart. The Subjection of Women. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1869.
“[T]he principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes – the legal subordination of one sex to the other – is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and…it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality.”
- Peterson’s Magazine [serial]. Philadelphia: [C.J. Peterson], 1867.
“If women would cultivate their minds more, they would be more companionable to intelligent men… Ladies, try not only to look pretty, but to talk well, also.” This magazine features poetry, fiction, hairstyles, recipes, and advice on various topics.
- Tytler, Sarah and Sir John Everett Millais. Papers for Thoughtful Girls. Boston: Crosby and Nichols, 1864.
“The secret of happiness here and hereafter…lies in loving God and loving our neighbor… These Papers are written with a diffident but yearning wish to aid young girls in their aim at so lofty and beautiful a purpose.”
