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Notable American Women, 1607–1950

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Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary is a three-volume biographical dictionary published in 1971. Its origins lay in 1957 when Radcliffe College librarians, archivists, and professors began researching the need for a version of the Dictionary of American Biography dedicated solely to women.[1]: xi 

Significance

Notable American Women was the first major modern reference book of women's biographies, although the genre was common in earlier eras, such as the 1804 A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women Of Every Age and Country by Matilda Betham.[1] It appeared when Women's studies in U.S. universities had created great interest in understanding women's past.[2] Upon its publication it was viewed by scholars as a magnificent contribution to understanding the role of women in U.S. history.[3]

Writing of the changes in perspective on biography inspired by Notable American Women, 1607–1950 Susan Ware observed, "1,359 entries showed the range and depth of women’s contributions to American life, a pointed correction to women’s near-total exclusion from existing biographical dictionaries at the time and a dramatic spur to further research."[4]

Updates

Notable American Women: The Modern Period : a Biographical Dictionary updated the set for subjects who died between 1951 and 1976. The work for that volume was a joint project of Radcliffe College and Harvard University Press funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.[2]

In 2004 volume 5 was issued: Notable American Women : a Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century.[5]

Women included in Volumes 1-3

Abolitionists

Actresses and Theatre Managers

Anthropologists and Folklorists

Architects and Interior Decorators

Art Collectors and Patrons

Art Critics and Historians

Art Educators

Astronomers

Authors (by literary period)

1607-1820

1821-1860

1861-1900

1900-1950

Biologists

Botanists and Horticulturists

Chemists and Physicists

Children's Authors

Circus Performers

Civil War Figures

Classicists

College Administrators

Composers

Dancers

Educational Reformers

Educators of the Handicapped

Explorers and Travelers

Feminists

Film Actresses and Directors

Geographer and Geologists

Hawaiian Nobility

Health Reform Advocates

Heroines

Historians

Historical Preservationists

Home Economists

Illustrators

Indian Captives

Indian Reform Advocates

Indian Women

Inventors

Kindergartners

Labor Leaders

Labor Reformers

Lawyers

Lecturers and Orators

Librarians

Literary Scholars

Magazine Editors

Mathematicians

Ministers and Evangelists

Missionaries

Missionary Society Leaders

Mormon Women

Music Educators and Patrons

Naturalists

Negro Women

Newspaperwomen

Performing Musicians

Nurses

Painters

Peace Advocates

Performing Musicians


Philanthropists

Philosophers

Photographer

Physicians

Political Figures

Advisers and Appointees

Congresswomen and Senators

Other Elected Officials

Party Workers

Propagandists

Printmakers

Prison Reformers

Psychologists

Religious Educators

Religious Founders and Leaders

See also Ministers and Evangelists; Missionaries

School Founders and Administrators

Sculptors

Settlement House Leaders

Social and Civic Reformers

See also Health Reform Advocates; Laborers; Settlement House Leaders

Social Economists

Social Leaders

Social Workers

Socialists and Radicals

Temperance Advocates

Suffragists

Temperance Advocates

Translators

Welfare Work Leaders

See also Social Workers

Wives of the Presidents

Women's Club Leaders

Women included in Volume 4

Agriculture and Rural Life

Anthropology and Folklore

Architecture

See also Landscape Architecture

Art

See also Photography

Astronomy

Aviation

Biology

Birth Control

Chemistry

See also Medicine: Researchers; Nutrition

Botany

Broadcasting

Children's Literature

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

Classics and Archaeology

Community Affairs

Conservation

Cookery

Dance

Demography

Economics

Education

College Founders and Administrators

School Founders and Administrators

Writers and Researchers

Other

See also Physical Education

Engineering and Industrial Design

Entertainment

Exploration

Fashion

Feminism

Film

Geology

Government and Politics

Appointees

Congresswomen

Other Elected Officials

Party Workers and Officials

Wives of Presidents

History

Home Economics

Housing Reform

Journalism

Labor

Landscape Architecture

Law

Librarianship

Literature

Editors and Publishers

Scholars

Translators

Writers

Magazine and Journal Editing

Mathematics

Medicine

Physicians

Researchers

Military

Music

Nursing

Nutrition

Peace

Penology and Criminology

Philanthropy

Philosophy

Photography

Physical Education

Physics

Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis

Public Health

Religion

Settlements

Socialism and Radicalism

Social Reform

Social Research

Social Welfare

Social Work

Sociology

Sports

Suffrage

Antisuffrage

Temperance and Prohibition

Prohibition Repeal

Theater

Women's Organizations

American Association of University Women

League of Women Voters

National Association of Colored Women

National Council of Negro Women

National Federation of Business and Professional Women

National Woman's Party

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Women's Trade Union League

YWCA

Other

Women included in Volume 5

Advertising/Public Relations

Anthropology/Folklore

Archaeology/Classics

Architecture

Art

Art Collectors/Dealers

Astronomy

Aviation

Biochemistry

Biology

Birth Control/Family Planning

Botany

Business/Entrepreneurship

Chemistry

Child Advocacy/Education

Children's Literature

Civil Rights

El Congreso de Pueblos de Habla Española

Mexican American Political Association

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Southern Christian Leadership Council

Southern Conference on Human Welfare

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

Community Activism/Local Government

Computer Science

See Mathematics

Conservation/Environmentalism

Conservatism

Consumer Affairs

Crafts/Decorative Arts

Dance

Economics

Education: General

Engineering/Technology

English/Literary Theory

Fashion/Textile Design

Feminism

Film

Food

Gardening

Government: Appointed Officials (State and Federal)

History

Home Economics

See Nutrition

Housing Reform

Journalism

Labor

Law and Judiciary

Librarians/Archivists

Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Science

Medicine: Physicians and Health Care Activists

Military

Museums/Curators

Music: Classical

Nursing

Nutrition/Home Economics

Peace

Penology and Criminology

Philanthropy

Philosophy

Photography

Physics

Political Science

Politics: Elected Officials/Activists/Volunteers

Psychiatry/Psychoanalysis/Psychiatric Social Work

Psychology

Public Health/Women's Health

Publishing/Editing

Radicalism/Socialism

Radio/Television

Religion/Spirituality

Social Work

Socialite/Hostess

Sociology

Sports/Physical Education/Recreation

Theater/Vaudeville/Comedy

Women's Health. See Public Health

Women's Organizations

American Association of University Women

Coalition of Labor Union Women

League of Women Voters

National Consumers' League

National Council of Negro Women

National Federation of Business and Professional Women

National Organization for Women

National Woman's Party

National Women's Political Caucus

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Women Strike for Peace

Women's Trade Union League

Young Women's Christian Association

Other

Writers/Poets

Zoology

Bibliography

  • Notable American Women: a biographical dictionary completing the twentieth century. (2004). Ware, Susan (editor), Stacy Braukman, assistant editor. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass. ISBN 067401488X.

References

  1. ^ a b James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S., eds. (1971). Notable American Women, 1607–1950; A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
  2. ^ a b Sicherman, Barbara; Green, Carol Hurd, eds. (1980). Notable American Women: The Modern Period: A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-62733-8. OCLC 834112895.
  3. ^ Miller, Roberta Balstad (January 1974). "Women and American history". Women's Studies. 2 (1): 105–113. doi:10.1080/00497878.1974.9978340.
  4. ^ Ware, Susan (Winter 2010). "Writing Women's Lives: One Historian's Perspective". Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 40 (3): 413–435. doi:10.1162/jinh.2010.40.3.413. S2CID 145478898.
  5. ^ Braukman, Stacy Lorraine; Ware, Susan, eds. (2004). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary Completing the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6. OCLC 937332808.
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