Godey's Lady's Book
I. Introduction
a. Godey’s Lady Book background
b. Thesis: Godey’s Lady Book illustrates an image of true womanhood. An ideal achieved only by the minority of women. This represents an ideal woman to serve males.
II. Illustrations featured in the Book
a. Demeanor
III. Portrayal of Women
a. Cult of true womanhood
b. Alexis de Tocqueville
IV. Compare images to the Reality of women
a. 14% of counted labor force was women
b. Singles and widows
V. Reinforcement of the ideal of true womanhood
a. Images and stories convey messages
VI. Conclusion
This essay is about Godey’s Lady Book, a popular publication that circulated 1830 to 1898. It was published in Philadelphia by Louis Godey. He saw value in the American female audience. The magazine was nicely crafted. It featured stories of fiction, non-fiction, illustrations and advertisements. It is responsible for launching popular authors. Women often brought the illustrations to tailors to copy the fashions featured in the magazine. It is like the women of today reading Vogue. However, it is a tamer version. It represented what Society taught was true womanhood of that time.
Louis Godey hired Sarah J. Hale to be the Editor. She had magazine experience before coming to this publication. She valued true womanhood and thought it was a worthwhile project. She was not as conservative as this seems at first glance. She did state that a doctor was in the sphere of woman’s work and out of the sphere of a man’s work. This is because men and women are different and a doctor requires nurturing and harmony. It required bedside care, and men were just not cut out for this. This example of a doctor indicates that she believes women are intelligent and capable. It is important to keep this in mind as we discover how this magazine portrays a woman’s role in Society.
The overall demeanor of the women pictured is one of quiet, submissive obedience. “Illustrations promoting the feminine ideal of selflessness,
a. Godey’s Lady Book background
b. Thesis: Godey’s Lady Book illustrates an image of true womanhood. An ideal achieved only by the minority of women. This represents an ideal woman to serve males.
II. Illustrations featured in the Book
a. Demeanor
III. Portrayal of Women
a. Cult of true womanhood
b. Alexis de Tocqueville
IV. Compare images to the Reality of women
a. 14% of counted labor force was women
b. Singles and widows
V. Reinforcement of the ideal of true womanhood
a. Images and stories convey messages
VI. Conclusion
This essay is about Godey’s Lady Book, a popular publication that circulated 1830 to 1898. It was published in Philadelphia by Louis Godey. He saw value in the American female audience. The magazine was nicely crafted. It featured stories of fiction, non-fiction, illustrations and advertisements. It is responsible for launching popular authors. Women often brought the illustrations to tailors to copy the fashions featured in the magazine. It is like the women of today reading Vogue. However, it is a tamer version. It represented what Society taught was true womanhood of that time.
Louis Godey hired Sarah J. Hale to be the Editor. She had magazine experience before coming to this publication. She valued true womanhood and thought it was a worthwhile project. She was not as conservative as this seems at first glance. She did state that a doctor was in the sphere of woman’s work and out of the sphere of a man’s work. This is because men and women are different and a doctor requires nurturing and harmony. It required bedside care, and men were just not cut out for this. This example of a doctor indicates that she believes women are intelligent and capable. It is important to keep this in mind as we discover how this magazine portrays a woman’s role in Society.
The overall demeanor of the women pictured is one of quiet, submissive obedience. “Illustrations promoting the feminine ideal of selflessness,