Reclaiming the History of Domesticity

A body of knowledge once in danger of being lost - how to cook, clean and otherwise care for one's home - is the subject of an exhibit drawn from the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library at Duke University. The exhibit is titled "A Woman's Place: Evolutions and Revolutions in Domestic Culture from Catharine Beecher to Martha Stewart." It opens Friday, Sept. 8, and runs through the end of October, in the lobby of the William R. Perkins Library on Duke's West Campus. In addition to aged keepsakes such as vintage hand soap and a toaster, the exhibit will include instructional pamphlets, magazines, cookbooks, almanacs and other texts. The materials range from the late-17th century to the mid-20th century. "Duke has one of the country's foremost collections of prescriptive literature," said Cristina Favretto, exhibit curator. "These materials are rare, but they are also significant because they represent generations of oral tradition." The exhibit comes at a time when Western culture is returning to the simple pleasures of "nesting." In recent years, Martha Stewart and other domestic experts have repackaged women's time-honored knowledge and skills, and turned them into a billion-dollar industry. But not everyone has bought into the movement. Most women's colleges don't collect historical prescriptive literature, and some libraries have actually discarded it over the years, Favretto said. It became very unpopular in the 1970s, around the time feminism was taking hold. Even now, many scholars question the value of maintaining prescriptive literature collections, Favretto said. One day last year, as she was working with Duke's holdings, Favretto was approached by an eminent women's studies scholar who asked her why the library was acquiring such materials, and then went on to suggest they were useless. Favretto told the scholar that the literature held valuable information regarding the lives of the majority of women. "We don't just want the stories of 'stars' and celebrities," Favretto said. "We want to relate the stories of women's everyday lives." Women originally began to resist domestic expectations, albeit in limited ways, in the 1940s and 50s. Two decades later, an outright rebellion against domestic roles was underway, as women entered the workforce in ever-increasing numbers, seeking social equality and otherwise striving to empower themselves. The rise of feminism evoked a backlash against housework in some quarters, Favretto said. Women seeking workplace equality feared that if they failed to reject their identity as keeper of the home - and all things related to it - they wouldn't be taken seriously by male colleagues. During the past 25 years, the advent of gender equality has experienced victories, setbacks and unfolding social change. But, oddly enough, another compelling certainty has emerged as well: the appeal of a comfortable home is apparently enduring. The evidence is clear: Books such as Cheryl Mendelson's Home Comforts have become bestsellers, and there is no denying the popularity of Martha Stewart, whose magazine sells more than 2 million copies each month. There's also been a considerable increase in television shows such as the Discovery Channel's "Home Matters," which focuses on topics as varied as houseplants, vintage linens and furniture dyes. Even academics have expressed interest. According to Favretto, Duke's prescriptive literature collection is examined regularly by researchers in anthropology, sociology, advertising, history, women's studies and English literature. In response to a surge in research pertaining to women's history, Duke created a special archives in 1989. Later, as the archives grew, the university obtained funding and established the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture. Favretto is director of the center, which is housed at the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library. The exhibit will consist of seven glass cases featuring materials from the Bingham Center and from Duke's Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing History. The earliest item on display will be a 1665 home almanac that includes a cure for the plague and notes on animal husbandry. Another early work on exhibit will be Moxon's English Housewifery (circa 1752), a fourth-edition volume that is part cookbook and part how-to manual. It includes information on how to set a table and which foods are appropriate for which season. "What I hope students pick up on is how complicated and physically exhausting it was to be a housewife," Favretto said. "When people play down or dismiss housework, they don't realize how much effort and skill went into it. "There's an intricate culture built around housework, and it's high time we put a value on what it takes to manage a home."

An opening reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, in the Perkins Library lobby. Library staff dressed in period garb will rove the gallery and hand out recipe cards, such as a 1951 recipe for tomato gelatin salad, another from 1929 for a frozen cheese dessert, as well as late-19th-century instructions for cooking a calf's head. Three related events sponsored by Duke Libraries will be held in Perkin's Rare Book Room this fall. All are free and open to the public. They will occur: Sept. 26. A panel discussion, titled "Familial Changes: Recent Thinking on Motherhood and Families," will feature Doriane L. Coleman, a Duke School of Law senior lecturing fellow; Ida Simpson, a Duke sociology professor; and Rebecca Bach, a visiting associate sociology professor. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11. A panel discussion, titled "Dainty, Thrifty, Tasty, Fat-free: Food Ideals of the 20th Century," will feature professor Jacquelyn W. McClelland, a food-and-nutrition specialist from North Carolina State University's Cooperative Extension Service; Debbie Moose, food writer for the Raleigh News & Observer; and Dorette E. Snover, a Raleigh-based food writer, chef and radio personality. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26. An evening of staged readings, titled " Cocktails, Casseroles and Contraceptives," will feature the Stepford Players. Audience members are encouraged to come as a favorite television or cinema domestic. A cash prize of $100 will be given for the best costume.

Written by Noah Bartolucci.