These little things that ladies do

[fidelioscabinet]

We all know the framing: Women's work is tedious and unexciting. Women's work is of minimal value compared to men's. It's trivial. It's insubstantial. Women's recreations are even worse

Comments

[la_marquise_de_]

And I will bet at least one scholar has suggested that she had no understanding of what she observed, too and that all the value is external to her, because, well, just a little woman scribbling and daubing.
Headdesk.

[fidelioscabinet]

I wouldn't be amazed. I did see a note that her writing was concerned with personal & social matters and that she stayed away from politics, but that was not given obvious value one way or another, from what I saw.

[fledgist]

I'd never say that. One of the most important sources for the social history of early nineteenth century Jamaica is Lady Nugent's Journal, the personal diary of the wife of an early nineteenth century colonial governor. Maria Nugent (http://www.understandingslavery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=229:lady-maria-nugent-1771-1834&catid=51:key-historical-individuals&Itemid=88) was a woman from New Jersey whose acute observations bring life in that West Indian colony into very clear focus.

[fidelioscabinet]

See, you know better. You've had to wade through the documents and archives and collections looking for things. You have known the frustration of the researcher looking for something beyond the official government records.

[matociquala]

Yep. Totally irrelevant pastime, that. :-P