An inspiring and surprising celebration of U.S. women's history told through Smithsonian artifacts illustrating women's participation in science, art, music, sports, fashion, business, religion, entertainment, military, politics, activism, and more.
This book offers a unique, panoramic look at women's history in the United States through the lens of ordinary objects from, by, and for extraordinary women. Featuring more than 280 artifacts from 16 Smithsonian museums and archives, and more than 135 essays from 95 Smithsonian authors, this book tells women's history as only the Smithsonian can.
Featured objects range from fine art to computer code, from First Ladies memorabilia to Black Lives Matter placards, and from Hopi pottery to a couch from the Oprah Winfrey show. There are familiar objects--such as the suffrage wagon used to advocate passage of the 19th Amendment and the Pussy Hat from the 2016 Women's March in DC--as well as lesser known pieces revealing untold stories. Portraits, photographs, paintings, political materials, signs, musical instruments, sports equipment, clothes, letters, ads, personal posessions, and other objects reveal the incredible stories of such amazing women as Phillis Wheatley, Julia Child, Sojourner Truth, Mary Cassatt, Madam C. J. Walker, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Till Mobley, Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta, Phyllis Diller, Celia Cruz, Sandra Day O'Connor, Billie Jean King, Sylvia Rivera, and so many more.
Together with illuminating text, these objects elevate the importance of American women in the home, workplace, government, and beyond. Published to commemorate the centennial of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, Smithsonian American Women is a deeply satisfying read and a must-have reflection on how generations of women have defined what it means to be recognized in both the nation and the world.
Author(s): Smithsonian Institution
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
Year: 2019
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Contributors
Note From The Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative By John Davis And Stephanie Stebich
Foreword By Jill Lepore
Introduction By Michelle Delaney
Chapter One: 1600–1864: Tradition and Resistance in a Young Nation
Seneca Finery
Invoking Earth Mother
The True Story of Pocahontas
Printer, Publisher, Wife
Goddess, Citizen, Muse
In Focus: Kitchens
Patroness of the Americas
The Art of Cradleboards
Schoolgirl Patriot
Voices: Phillis Wheatley
Uncertain Opportunity at Work
The Cruel Fate of the Fancy Girls
Sojourner Truth: Image as Activism
“I Am No Advocate of Passivity”
Tea as Abolitionist Activism
A Woman Called Moses
Stirring the National Conscience
Women of the Battlefield
Freethinking Mary
Reaching Out for the Stars
Challenging Convention
Gown Made with Love
Chapter Two: 1865–1920: The Road to Reform
Reaching through Darkness
Teaching the Solar System
The Death of Cleopatra
A Marriage of Minds
Making the Case for Suffrage
The Story of Suffrage
Solving Mail Mysteries
Art Bearing Witness
Living Together, Working Together
The Powerful Pen of Ida B. Wells
Painter of Maternity
Vital Midwives
Voices: Hawai‘i’s Queen Lili‘uokalani
Great Demand Banner
Coming Out Swinging
A Lifetime of Lifting Black Lives
Courageous and Defiant
A Banner for Change
In Focus: First Ladies
In Service and at the Ready
Marriage by Matchmaker
Lens and Microscope
Madam C. J. Walker: Meaningful Beauty
Dedicated, Dutiful, and Diverse
Changing Menstrual Culture
Radium Risks Exposed
Flying Firsts in Triumph
Chapter Three: 1921–1948: The Rise of the Modern Woman
Marian Anderson
Pioneering a Shifting Landscape
A Passion for Strings
Abroad to Succeed
Before Her Time
The Spirit of the New
A Deep Devotion to Science and Politics
A Latina Star and Hollywood Success
A Trailblazing Life in Aviation
O’Keeffe’s Manhattan Abstractions
Transforming Textile Art
Aerobatic Wonder
Heritage Reclaimed
“Hello, Operator?”
Concha’s American Journey
Voices: Eleanor Roosevelt
A Lifetime of Military Service
In a League of Their Own
Flexing a Bicep for Uncle Sam
“Farmerettes” Feed a Nation
Wartime’s Female Ideal
Unpacking History
Art in Isolation
Brain Power
Not Just Exotic
In Focus: Politics
Grandma Moses, American Icon
Chapter Four: 1949–1967: Boycotts, Sit-Ins, and Civil Unrest
Game Changer
A Mother’s Grief Mobilizes the Nation
Mohegan Medicine Woman
Poetic Portraiture
Voice of Appalachia
Crown of Controversy
Building Community through Fashion
Wonder Bowl Women
Empowering Embroidery
Abstract Expressionism’s Unsung Heroes
Resilience against Racism
Scientist, Author, and Activist
Detecting Dark Matter
Civil Rights Artist and Activist
Champion of Gay Rights
Voices: Dolores Huerta
Lieutenant Uhura’s Legacy
Phyllis Diller’s Gag File
Suiting up for the Sky
Breaking into Elite Sports
Civil Rights Frontrunner
Coding the First Lunar Landing
An Early Heart Valve
In Focus: Self-Portraits
Chapter Five: 1968–2019: Breakthroughs and Backlash
Skater Girl Gear
Celia Cruz: An Unapologetic Force
ERA: Fast Track to Slow Defeat
Choreopoem for Colored Girls
Dressed for the Bench
A Room of One’s Own, Reimagined
Winning the “Battle of the Sexes”
A Powerful Voice for Social Change
Navigating Change
The Women of Voyager
A Woman’s Place: In Outer Space
Mapping the Universe
Barbara McClintock
In Focus: American Quilts
Women Warriors Breaking Boundaries
Tireless Transgender Advocate
Symbols of Sisterhood
Voices: A Patriarchy-Smashing Publication
1996 Olympics “Summer of the Women”
Stamping Out Breast Cancer
In America’s Living Room
Olympic Debut in a Hijab
Building Blocks That Inspire
Immortalized in Medicine and Canvas
Coming of Age, Latina Style
The Power of a Portrait
Antiracist Activism
Pussy(hat) Power
Adrift, but Not without Hope
The Objects
Index
