The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is a research library at the

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. According to

Nancy F. Cott Nancy Falik Cott (born November 8, 1945) is an American historian and professor who has taught at Yale and Harvard universities, specializing in gender topics in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. She has testified on same-sex ...

, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Director, it is "the largest and most significant repository of documents covering women's lives and activities in the United States".

Library

History

In 1905, Andrew Carnegie gave Radcliffe College $73,900 to build a library. Henry Forbes Bigelow, a Boston achitect, was hired to design the library which was built in 1906. On August 26, 1943, when the

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and h ...

alumna

Maud Wood Park Maud Wood Park (January 25, 1871 – May 8, 1955) was an American suffragist and women's rights activist. Career overview She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1887 she graduated from St. Agnes School in Albany, New York, after which she ta ...

'98, a former suffragist, donated her collection of books, papers, and memorabilia on female reformers to Radcliffe. This grew into a research library called the Women's Archives, It was renamed in 1965 in honor of Elizabeth Bancroft Schlesinger (1886-1977) and her husband Arthur M. Schlesinger (1888-1965), as they were strong supporters of the library's mission. Arthur was a noted historian and author who had taught at

for thiry years (1924-1954). Elizabeth was a noted feminist who active in civic affairs and served on the library's advisory board.

Purpose

The Schlesinger Library exists to document women's lives and endeavors. Its wealth of resources reveals the wide range of women's activities at home in the United States and abroad from the early 19th century to the present day.

Collections

Jessie Tarbox Beals with camera Schlesinger Library

The library's holdings include manuscripts; books and periodicals; and photographic and audiovisual material. While its focus for collecting is American women, the library has an abundance of print and manuscript materials bearing on issues around the globe as a result of American women's extensive travel and foreign residence. Some examples are letters of early

missionaries in China Christianity in China has been present since at least the 3rd century, and it has gained a significant amount of influence during the last 200 years. While Christianity may have existed in China before the 3rd century, evidence of its exis ...

, activists' accounts of the

Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice The Seneca Women's Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice was a women-only peace camp formed to protest the scheduled deployment of Cruise and Pershing II missiles before their suspected shipment from the Seneca Army Depot to Europe in the f ...

, and the world-spanning speeches and writings of Shirley Graham Du Bois. Detailed records for the library's manuscript collections as well as books and periodicals can be found in HOLLIS. The catalog record gives a description of the item or collection and provides other important information such as offsite location or access restrictions. Researchers can learn more about the manuscript collections by consulting the Schlesinger Library's Research Guides. Research Librarians can be reached through ''Ask a Schlesinger Librarian''.

Manuscripts

There are more than 2,500 unique manuscript collections from individuals, families, and organizations. Women's rights movements past and present, feminism, health and sexuality, social reform, and the education of women and girls are core manuscript holdings. Ordinary lives of women and families and the struggles and triumphs of women of accomplishment are richly documented in diaries and other personal records. Many collections, such as the papers of Charlotte Perkins Gilman,

Pauli Murray Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray (November 20, 1910 – July 1, 1985) was an American civil rights activist who became a lawyer, gender equality advocate, Episcopal priest, and author. Drawn to the ministry, in 1977 she became one of the first women ...

, and the records of the National Organization for Women, feature political, organizational, and economic questions. In 1972 the National Organization for Women chose the Schlesinger Library as the archives for its records; the collection has grown to be one of its largest (300 linear feet of manuscripts and growing as of 2013) and one of its most heavily used by researchers.Records of the National Organization for Women , Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University
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Books and periodicals

More than 80,000 printed volumes include scholarly

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monogra ...

s as well as popular works. These cover topics including women's rights; women and work; women's health; women of color; comparative material about women in other cultures; works on women in the arts and in music; women and family;

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and anti-feminist theory; and lesbian writings. Hundreds of periodical titles, including popular magazines such as ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In ...

'', '' Ebony'', '' Seventeen'', highlight domestic concerns, leisure pursuits, etiquette, fashion, and food. The library has two distinguished special collections. A culinary collection of over 15,000 books — spanning five centuries and

global cuisines A global cuisine is a cuisine that is practiced around the world. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific region, country or culture. To become a global cuisine, a local, regional o ...

— is one of the world's most significant. This collection also includes the papers of several famous chefs and foodwriters such as M.F.K. Fisher,

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

, and Elizabeth David. The archives of

, 1879–1999 — including papers of college officers, students, and alumnae — richly record the history of women in higher education.

Photographic and audiovisual material

More than 90,000 photographs, ranging from casual snapshots to the works of professional photographers, create an unparalleled visual record of private and public life. Audiotapes, videotapes and oral history tapes, and transcripts add the soundtrack to the story of women's lives. The Schlesinger Library is home to the Black Women Oral History Project, recorded between 1976 and 1981. With support from the Schlesinger Library, the project recorded a cross section of women who had made significant contributions to American society during the first half of the 20th century.

References

External links

Records of The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America, 1942-2011: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Schlesinger Library Research Guides

Ask a Schlesinger Librarian
{{Authority control University and college academic libraries in the United States Libraries in Massachusetts Harvard University buildings Radcliffe College and Institute Libraries in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Harvard Library Literary archives in the United States Special collections libraries in the United States