Curated by Breanna Teynor ’24, Alicia Zachary-Erickson, and Jillian Sparks
To begin viewing the virtual exhibit, click the “Enter the What She Read Exhibit” gold button on the photo above.
During the 19th century book production evolved from a craft trade, as exemplified by the hand press and singular leather book bindings, to a machine-enhanced industry. The enhancements in illustration, printing, and binding led to increased production, which matched the growing demand for more printed literature. The exhibit looks at this evolution through the lens of women, focusing on their roles as artists, laborers in book production, editors, and agents for social change. We have also chosen to highlight materials from our Nordic-American Imprint collection, a collection of 19th and early 20th-century books and periodicals produced by and for the Norwegian-American community in the US. By looking at what she read, we can begin to understand women and the book in the 19th century.
This virtual exhibit expands on the physical exhibit located in the reference room in Spring 2023.