Romance & the Marriageable Girl

Romance for girls of marriageable age became an increasingly complicated issue during the extended era of the women’s suffrage movement. Often, as opportunities developed for women outside the home (such as education, wage work, and political organizing), romantic couples developed opposing views on women's political rights -- struggles that were serious enough to break up relationships, engagements, and even marriages. While women's economic and political power increased over the years, even young women who attained a college education were pressured to give up their careers for marriage and children. The popular press and mass media were especially critical of suffragists since many pushed back on traditional roles for women, and many chose not to marry at all -- and that was one of the most scandalous things a young woman could decide to do at the time! Our collection showcases a wide variety of artifacts that explore the tensions that existed for "romance and the marriageable girl."

Fig. 1a. Early Valentine's Day card exchanged between two women.

Fig. 1b. To Norma Church from Louise Weaver.

Affectionate friendships between women during the 19th and early 20th centuries were often intense and regularly expressed through the exchange of letters and cards. In this artifact, a Valentine's Day card sent from one woman to another shows an affectionate relationship that today might be viewed as blurring the boundaries between romance and platonic friendship.

Fig. 2a. Cover of self-help guide "How to Win a Mate."

Fig. 2b. "The Art of Courtship."

Fig. 2c. "The compensation for the loss of freedom should overbalance the surrender."

“How-To” guides became an important tool for society to guide young women toward proper decisionmaking in romance and marriage. It was believed that women needed help "winning" a husband, and their concerns about assuming traditional wifely roles were addressed in statements such as: “Mating does not mean slavery to the other party . . .” Young women were advised to make themselves more appealing to men with the end goal always to get a husband, which was antithetical to the broader political goals of suffragists.

Fig. 3. Woman's Home Companion story about a romantic break-up over the issue of suffrage.

Ladies' magazines such as Woman's Home Companion featured fictional stories about potentially serious relationship issues that could arise when couples had opposing political viewpoints, such as suffrage. In this story excerpt, we see dire consequences when a suffragist and her lawyer fiance discuss the irreparable damage done to their relationship by women's fight for the vote.

Fig. 4a. "Bloomer Girl" Broadway show (1947) about love troubles during the age of dress reform.

Fig. 4b. Audio clip from "Bloomer Girl." Love interest Jeff Calhoun woos main character Evelina Applegate.

"Bloomer Girl" is a musical about a young woman named Evelina who defies her father by wearing bloomers rather than the hoop skirts he manufactures. The romantic subplot of the story is about Evelina refusing to marry her suitor until he frees his slave. The radical reform ideas of young abolitionists and suffragists like Evelina made them seem unfit as marriage partners. Some of the characters are based on real suffragists, and many of the songs tackle real relationship issues that people of the time faced.

"Evelina" lyrics:

Evelina, won't ya ever take a shine to that moon?

Evelina, ain't ya bothered by the bobolink's tune?

Tell me, tell me how long

Ya gonna keep delayin' the day.

Don't ya reckon it's wrong

Trifflin' with April this way?

Evelina, won't ya pay a little mind to me soon?

Wake up! wake up!

The earth is fair, the fruit is fine

But what's the use o' smellin' winter water melon

Clingin' to another fella's vine?

Evelina, won't ya roll off that vine an' be mine?

(lyrics.com)

Fig. 5. Little Blue Book "How to Be Happy Though Married" self-help guide.

The Little Blue Book was a series of small stapled booklets published from 1919 through 1978. How-to books like this were common and filled with tips on how to please a husband, focusing mainly on ways women could change themselves to become more amenable to their mate. To be a “marriageable girl” one must be willing to set aside her own wants and needs, which to a suffragist was moving backward instead of forward.

what too many briders learn too late.jpg

Fig. 6. Advertisement for Margaret Sanger book "Woman and the New Race." Advocates contraception for young wives.

Young women did not have (easy) access to birth control during the suffragist movement. This meant that young brides had nothing readily available to prevent pregnancy, and women routinely had many children over the course of their child-bearing years. The ‘marriageable girl’ had little choice about becoming a mother, so reformers like Margaret Sanger began providing information about birth control that advocated for better education and access to women's health care.

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS:

Megan Marek, Olivia Davis, Sheradyn Bragg