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Notable American Women, 1607–1950

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Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary is a three-volume biographical dictionary published in 1971. Its origins lay in 1957 when Radcliffe College librarians, archivists, and professors began researching the need for a version of the Dictionary of American Biography dedicated solely to women.[1]: xi 

Significance

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Notable American Women was the first major modern reference book of women's biographies, although the genre was common in earlier eras, such as the 1804 A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women Of Every Age and Country by Matilda Betham.[1] It appeared when Women's studies in U.S. universities had created great interest in understanding women's past.[2] Upon its publication it was viewed by scholars as a magnificent contribution to understanding the role of women in U.S. history.[3]

Writing of the changes in perspective on biography inspired by Notable American Women, 1607–1950 Susan Ware observed, "1,359 entries showed the range and depth of women’s contributions to American life, a pointed correction to women’s near-total exclusion from existing biographical dictionaries at the time and a dramatic spur to further research."[4]

Updates

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Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary updated the set for subjects who died between 1951 and 1976. The work for the fourth volume was a joint project of Radcliffe College and Harvard University Press funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and edited by Barbara Sicherman and Carol Hurd Green.[2][5]

In 2004 volume 5 was issued: Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century.[6] The fifth volume in the series and was edited by historian Susan Ware who was assisted by Stacy Braukman. The women who were included had to have died prior to 2000. The volume differed from its predecessors because first ladies were not automatically included. Fame was not a factor, rather those chosen for inclusion had to have been influential or have contributed innovations or pioneering work in their area of expertise in their era.[7]

Reception

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A 1973 review of Notable American Women, 1607-1950 by Mary Elizabeth Massey in The American Historical Review describes the work as "the most scholarly of all female reference works yet published", and notes, "As might be expected in a work of this kind, special attention is given to political activists, feminists, and suffragists, but the opponents of feminism and woman suffrage have not been ignored."[8] In a 1973 review for The William and Mary Quarterly, Barbara Welter writes, "Although white middle-class women who were reformers and authors predominate, women of other ethnic groups, holding diverse occupations, also appear. The sources consulted for even the most obscure of the lives are impressive - manuscripts, archives, collateral accounts, as well as exhaustive secondary material."[9]

Accordng to Marjorie F. Gutheim in a review for New England Quarterly, "There is someone here to interest everyone. If the longest articles seem a bit overpowering, or the more familiar ones too well known, turn to Mary Peck Butterworth, counterfeiter of colonial days; Margaret Hardenbrook Philipse, who carried on a mercantile business in her maiden name [...]; Kate Kennedy, who in the late 1860's fought for "equal pay for equal work"; Ellen Demorest who developed paper dress patterns; Alice Kober who helped decipher Linear B; Ida Lewis, a lighthouse keeper renowned for her rescues; Annie Peck, the mountain climber; Ann Eliza Young, a disaffected wife of Brigham Young; Emma Edmonds who served for two years in the Army of the Potomac disguised as a man."[10]

In a review of the fifth volume, Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing The Twentieth Century, P. Palmer writes for Choice Reviews, "The entries emphasize achievement rather than fame. Ware selected knowledgeable authors to write the alphabetically arranged, signed entries; e.g., Ruth Bader Ginsburg writes about Burnita Shelton Matthews, the Mississippi native who was the first woman to become a lifetenured federal trial court judge. Throughout the work, writing is balanced and detailed."[11] A review in The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education states "Often historical compendiums assembled by white historians and editors tend to shortchange the contributions of members of minority groups. But this is not the case in the publication of Notable American Women", and 69 of the 442 biographies in the fifth volume are Black women, including "Black women from the fields of art, literature, sports, music, government, and entertainment", as well as "some of the most notable black women educators of the period".[12] In a review for Feminist Collections, Mary Hitchcock writes, "One potential drawback to the structure of the books in this series is that without a comprehensive index to all the volumes, it could prove time-consuming to locate an entry for a particular woman if one is not certain when she died. Overall, however, the series and this volume in particular are very valuable resources, providing useful information about women whose lives might be glossed over or ignored completely by more general biographical dictionaries."[13]

Women included in Volumes 1-3

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Abolitionists

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Actresses and Theatre Managers

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Anthropologists and Folklorists

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Architects and Interior Decorators

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Art Collectors and Patrons

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Art Critics and Historians

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Art Educators

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Astronomers

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Authors (by literary period)

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1607-1820

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1821-1860

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1861-1900

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1900-1950

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Biologists

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Botanists and Horticulturists

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Chemists and Physicists

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Children's Authors

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Circus Performers

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Civil War Figures

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Classicists

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College Administrators

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Composers

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Dancers

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Educational Reformers

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Educators of the Handicapped

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Explorers and Travelers

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Feminists

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Film Actresses and Directors

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Geographer and Geologists

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Hawaiian Nobility

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Health Reform Advocates

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Heroines

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Historians

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Historical Preservationists

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Home Economists

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Illustrators

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Indian Captives

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Indian Reform Advocates

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Indian Women

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Inventors

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Kindergartners

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Labor Leaders

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Labor Reformers

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Lawyers

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Lecturers and Orators

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Librarians

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Literary Scholars

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Magazine Editors

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Mathematicians

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Ministers and Evangelists

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Missionaries

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Missionary Society Leaders

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Mormon Women

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Music Educators and Patrons

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Naturalists

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Negro Women

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Newspaperwomen

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Performing Musicians

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Nurses

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Painters

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Peace Advocates

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Performing Musicians

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Philanthropists

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Philosophers

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Photographer

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Physicians

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Political Figures

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Advisers and Appointees

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Congresswomen and Senators

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Other Elected Officials

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Party Workers

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Propagandists

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Printmakers

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Prison Reformers

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Psychologists

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Religious Educators

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Religious Founders and Leaders

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See also Ministers and Evangelists; Missionaries

School Founders and Administrators

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Sculptors

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Settlement House Leaders

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Social and Civic Reformers

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See also Health Reform Advocates; Laborers; Settlement House Leaders

Social Economists

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Social Leaders

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Social Workers

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Socialists and Radicals

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Temperance Advocates

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Suffragists

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Temperance Advocates

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Translators

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Welfare Work Leaders

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See also Social Workers

Wives of the Presidents

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Women's Club Leaders

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Women included in Volume 4

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Agriculture and Rural Life

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Anthropology and Folklore

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Architecture

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See also Landscape Architecture

Art

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See also Photography

Astronomy

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Aviation

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Biology

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Birth Control

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Chemistry

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See also Medicine: Researchers; Nutrition

Botany

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Broadcasting

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Children's Literature

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Civil Liberties

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Civil Rights

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Classics and Archaeology

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Community Affairs

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Conservation

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Cookery

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Dance

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Demography

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Economics

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Education

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College Founders and Administrators

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School Founders and Administrators

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Writers and Researchers

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Other

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See also Physical Education

Engineering and Industrial Design

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Entertainment

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Exploration

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Fashion

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Feminism

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Film

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Geology

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Government and politics

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Appointees

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Congresswomen

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Other Elected Officials

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Party Workers and Officials

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Wives of Presidents

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History

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Home Economics

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Housing Reform

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Journalism

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Labor

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Landscape Architecture

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Law

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Librarianship

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Literature

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Editors and Publishers

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Scholars

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Translators

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Writers

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Magazine and Journal Editing

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Mathematics

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Medicine

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Physicians

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Researchers

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Military

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Music

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Nursing

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Nutrition

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Peace

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Penology and Criminology

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Philanthropy

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Philosophy

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Photography

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Physical Education

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Physics

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Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis

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Public Health

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Religion

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Settlements

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Socialism and Radicalism

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Social Reform

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Social Research

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Social Welfare

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Social Work

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Sociology

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Sports

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Suffrage

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Antisuffrage

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Temperance and Prohibition

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Prohibition Repeal

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Theater

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Women's Organizations

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American Association of University Women

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League of Women Voters

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National Association of Colored Women

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National Council of Negro Women

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National Federation of Business and Professional Women

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National Woman's Party

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Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

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Women's Trade Union League

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YWCA

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Other

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Women included in Volume 5

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Advertising/Public Relations

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Anthropology/Folklore

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Archaeology/Classics

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Architecture

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Art

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Art Collectors/Dealers

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Astronomy

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Aviation

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Biochemistry

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Biology

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Birth Control/Family Planning

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Botany

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Business/Entrepreneurship

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Chemistry

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Child Advocacy/Education

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Children's Literature

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Civil Rights

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El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española

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Mexican American Political Association

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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

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Southern Christian Leadership Council

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Southern Conference on Human Welfare

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Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

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Community Activism/Local Government

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Computer Science

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See Mathematics

Conservation/Environmentalism

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Conservatism

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Consumer Affairs

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Crafts/Decorative Arts

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Dance

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Economics

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Education: General

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Engineering/Technology

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English/Literary Theory

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Fashion/Textile Design

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Feminism

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Film

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Food

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Gardening

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Government: Appointed Officials (State and Federal)

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History

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Home Economics

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See Nutrition

Housing Reform

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Journalism

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Labor

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Law and Judiciary

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Librarians/Archivists

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Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Science

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Medicine: Physicians and Health Care Activists

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Military

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Museums/Curators

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Music: Classical

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Nursing

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Nutrition/Home Economics

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Peace

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Penology and Criminology

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Philanthropy

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Philosophy

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Photography

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Physics

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Political Science

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Politics: Elected Officials/Activists/Volunteers

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Psychiatry/Psychoanalysis/Psychiatric Social Work

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Psychology

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Public Health/Women's Health

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Publishing/Editing

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Radicalism/Socialism

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Radio/Television

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Religion/Spirituality

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Social Work

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Socialite/Hostess

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Sociology

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Sports/Physical Education/Recreation

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Theater/Vaudeville/Comedy

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Women's Health. See Public Health

Women's Organizations

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American Association of University Women

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Coalition of Labor Union Women

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League of Women Voters

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National Consumers' League

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National Council of Negro Women

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National Federation of Business and Professional Women

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National Organization for Women

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National Woman's Party

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National Women's Political Caucus

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Planned Parenthood Federation of America

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Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

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Women Strike for Peace

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Women's Trade Union League

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Young Women's Christian Association

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Other

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Writers/Poets

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Zoology

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Bibliography

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  • Notable American Women: a biographical dictionary completing the twentieth century. (2004). Ware, Susan (editor), Stacy Braukman, assistant editor. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass. ISBN 067401488X.

References

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  1. ^ a b James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S., eds. (1971). Notable American Women, 1607–1950; A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
  2. ^ a b Sicherman, Barbara; Green, Carol Hurd, eds. (1980). Notable American Women: The Modern Period: A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-62733-8. OCLC 834112895.
  3. ^ Miller, Roberta Balstad (January 1974). "Women and American history". Women's Studies. 2 (1): 105–113. doi:10.1080/00497878.1974.9978340.
  4. ^ Ware, Susan (Winter 2010). "Writing Women's Lives: One Historian's Perspective". Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 40 (3): 413–435. doi:10.1162/jinh.2010.40.3.413. S2CID 145478898.
  5. ^ Rothman, Sheila M. (September 1981). "Biography as Prescription". Reviews in American History. 9 (3): 415–421. doi:10.2307/2701975. ISSN 0048-7511. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. ^ Ware, Susan; Braukman, Stacy Lorraine, eds. (2004). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6. OCLC 937332808.
  7. ^ Farrell, Joelle (March 27, 2005). "A Woman of Notable Achievement: Susan Ware Helps Shape Women's History". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire. p. B1, B8. Retrieved 25 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Massey, Mary Elizabeth (1973). "Review of Notable American Women 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary. Volume 1, A-F; volume 2, G-O; volume 3, P-Z". The American Historical Review. 78 (1): 144–145. doi:10.2307/1854029. ISSN 0002-8762. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  9. ^ Welter, Barbara (1973). "Review of Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary". The William and Mary Quarterly. 30 (3): 518–522. doi:10.2307/1918498. ISSN 0043-5597. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  10. ^ Gutheim, Marjorie F. (1972). "Review of Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary". The New England Quarterly. 45 (2): 281–283. doi:10.2307/364762. ISSN 0028-4866. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  11. ^ Palmer, P. (July–August 2005). "Notable American women: a biographical dictionary completing the twentieth century". Choice Reviews. 42 (11/12): 1954, 1956. ProQuest 225797911
  12. ^ "The Esteemed Sisterhood of the Late Twentient Century". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (48): 126–127. 2005. doi:10.2307/25073263. ISSN 1077-3711. ProQuest 195551867
  13. ^ Hitchcock, Mary (Winter 2005). "Susan Ware, ed., Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century". Feminist Collections: a Quarterly of Women's Studies Resources. 26 (2/3). University of Wisconsin: 22. ISSN 0742-7441. ProQuest 221218442
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