Carpetbags of Culture: Travel Books by American Women
Presented by Dr. Mary S. Schriber
Wednesday, September 23, 1998, 7:30pm
Staff Lounge, Founders Memorial Library (Lower Level)
The first program of the Friends' 1998-99 Program Series was entitled "Carpetbags of Culture: Travel Books by American Women," and was presented by Dr. Mary Schriber. Dr. Schriber's topic covered roughly the time period from 1830 to 1920. This period saw the advent of the "Steam Palace," a steam-powered ocean liner, and the expanded ability for women to travel.
Dr. Schriber entitled her presentation Carpetbags of Culture because the travel writings of American women are carpetbags of information, not only on foreign lands and cultures, but also on America and American culture. Throughout the lecture, Dr. Schriber related various anecdotes and excerpts from the writings of these travelers in their journeys to Ethiopia, the Indian Ocean, and even by rover (bicycle) across Algeria.
Women of this period had many reasons to travel. One reason was that Americans at this time were on an identity quest and traveled to different countries to discover how the United States was distinct from other lands. Another reason for this increase in travel was that Americans accumulated much wealth following the Civil War and it became fashionable for the wealthy to visit Europe and return with fine furniture and clothing. Also at this time, women were increasingly joining the ranks of the working class and one profession that opened early to women was journalism. Many women were hired as correspondents for newspapers and thus had reason to travel abroad. However, women who traveled mostly traveled with male companions (husbands, brothers, escorts, etc.).
The social mores of the time were changing rapidly. In pre-Civil War times, men and women operated in separate spheres and if women ventured into public, it was at their own peril and at the risk of their womanhood. Travel itself was gendered and most travel books were written for men. Following the Civil War and with the increase in travel by women, travel books began to appear on the market whose main audience was women.
In a market generally perceived to be glutted with travel books, travel books for women were selling quite well. One author, Nellie Bly, found her niche in the book market by writing a book for women on traveling alone. In this book, she recounts her own experiences, the adventure, and the chivalry she encountered from men in foreign lands. She later went on to write a book for women on how to travel lightly, with one dress and one handbag!
The evening came to an end with an array of delicious refreshments provided by Samuel & Corinna Huang.
- Byron Anderson
For more information, please call (815) 753-9838 or e-mail libraryfriend@niu.edu.
Last Updated: August 22, 2007