About
"The woman writes as if the devil was in her."
Nathaniel Hawthorne, on Fanny Fern
This exhibition is intended to take the work of the highly influential Fanny Fern and show how she functioned within a culture that would sooner see women fulfill exclusively domestic roles than see them grow into careers or positions of power. Through these pages, Ferns Pieces are compared to selections from Godey's Lady's Book, the most popular women's journal during Fern's career.
Fanny Fern was a 19th century author who used her voice to advocate for women in the workforce, women in the home, and she used her position to speak out against women being overly focused in their personal aesthetics. Although many of her points were considered controversial when coming from a woman, she was the most successful female newspaper columnist of her time. This is especially impressive when we consider her work in the context of other "fashionable" content being produced for women, which prized the mother, the fashion-icon, and female commodification above women as members of the workforce. This is especially impressive when we consider her work in the context of other "fashionable" content being produced for women, which prized the mother, the fashion icon, and female commodification above women as members of the workforce.
About Fanny Fern's Women's World
The Portfolios
Much of Fanny Fern's work was featured in portfolios such as this one, which was released in 1853. Featured within this exhibition will be a selection of works from Fern Leaves (shown here), Fresh Leaves, and Caper Sauce. The essays and short stories she shared in these portfolios were often featured in other magazines and journals during the mid-nineteenth century.
The Magazine
Godey's Lady's Book was a women's magazine that was published throughout the United States, and hit 150,000 subscriptions during its peak- which coincided with the publication of Fern's portfolios. Godey's was considered the most influential literature forum for women during the mid-19th century.