Victorian Era

Cross-Dressing: A Desirable Crime!

~ n02714729 ~ 1 Comment

In Lee Jackson’s Victorian Dictionary, I researched accounts of cross-dressing women and found that many of these women were often “found out” in lawful investigations following the conviction of a separate crime. The first article I read was written for a newly published magazine at the time (though the source did not indicate which), and it tells of a woman who called herself Bill Chapman, who caused a disturbance at a bar after being complained of by many others for being a “cheat and imposter” (1). The article, entitled, “HATTON GARDEN. EXTRAORDINARY CASE- A MAN-WOMAN,” tells of Chapman’s alternative lifestyle of smoking cigars, wearing men’s hats and trousers, and traveling with another woman, who is her wife. The investigator’s comment,”She may be a disorderly and disreputable character, which, in fact, her dressing as a man clearly shows, but I know of no law to punish her for wearing male attire” (1) clearly depicts a common attitude towards the great misunderstanding of transgender people at the time. This claim also identifies with the words used to describe Chapman, referring to her a “creature” and using the pronoun “it.” Chapman reasoned her dress as “owning to the cruelty of her father-in-law” (1).
Another account from “The Penny Illustrated Paper,” discussed a woman who disguised herself as a man so she could make more money. Her in initial crime was “annoying the landlady of a lodging house…by creating a disturbance and threatening to beat another woman…whom she had been living with as husband” (4). In spite of the crime, this article heavily focuses on the fact that she is a woman in man’s clothing. In fact, the heading of the article is “A WOMAN FOR SIX YEARS IN MAN’S CLOTHES” (4). This seems that the lore to get people’s attention to read the article is more so by pointing out her “oddity” rather than her crime, then again, how else can one expect Victorian society to react?

It wasn’t until recently that cross-dressing became socially acceptable on the surface of society, so I found these accounts to be quite interesting, especially when considering the different reasons as to why women cross-dressed. Was it for women’s rights? or was it an expression of their sexuality?

Works Cited

“Hutton Garden. Extraordinary Case-A Man-Woman.” Victorian London Dictionary. Web. 14 February 2016. www.victorianlondon.org.

“The Penny Illustrated Newspaper.” Victorian London Dictionary. Web. 14 February 2016.

At the Ladies Club

~ Antonia ~ 4 Comments

After learning about the Gentleman’s Club in the “Victorian Period” game, I decided to look into the “Ladies Club” section of the Victorian Dictionary. There was only one article in the section, and it was by the satirical conservative newspaper Punch. However, through the mockery that they give to the idea, they expose exactly what they fear women obtaining. The Ladies Club did not even actually exist, but the piece speculates on what might occur if it did, and how it’s possible formation incites “fearful questions.” Their first question is if there will be a club committee, and if there is how many women will be allowed to speak at once. This betrays a fear of women organizing and having a voice completely outside the control of men. They then question whether there will be a smoking room, and if “cigars will suffer to be lighted” or, for fear of illness, only “the middlest cigarettes.” Not only does this show disgust at the idea of women adopting a symbol of masculinity for their own pleasure, but it doubts whether they will be able to do that, or if their delicate constitutions would prevent it. They then question what women will discuss. Whether it will be topics they feel appropriate, such as “the nursery” and “bonnets,” or if they will talk of more scandalous matters such as love, marriage, and even divorce. In this question they restrict the interests of women to the domestic life. They do not even consider that women may talk about politics, literature, science, or anything outside of marriage and children. They go on, continuing to trivialize women, and their interests, even suggesting that ballots will be represented by cotton balls instead of actual ballots. Perhaps paper is just too heavy. They predict a woman in the club scorning her husband and leaving him to take care of the children for a night, while she takes time for herself. This practice, which men a known to do, is seen as selfish in a woman because her first concern should be the family and not herself. The last point they make on behavior in the club gives a good insight into the male gaze of the period: “what a sensation would be caused on the street pavement, if the Club belles were to congregate about the Club beau-windows, and stare through their eye-glasses every handsome man who passed.” They are revealing an anxiety about being objectified the same way that they objectify women. The entire article shows a fear, not of equality, but of a world where women have power over men in the same way that men have power over women.

Works Cited

“The Ladies Club” Punch. Victorian London Dictionary. Web. 12 February 2016. http://www.victorianlondon.org/women/ladiesclub.htm

Exploring the Victorian Lady’s Dressing Room

~ philliph1 ~ Leave a comment

My entry from Lee Jackson’s “Victorian Dictionary” relates to feminine attractiveness in the Victorian Era. Taken fromThe Lady’s Dressing Room, the excerpt provides a preface to the author’s advice on how to retain beauty. It was intended for a specific audience: married women committed to charming their husbands. 

The text is from 19th Century French etiquette author Baroness Staffe’s work. The translator, Lady Colin Campbell (Gertrude Elizabeth Blood) was a journalist and writer. She was also involved with a few divorce scandals, which is interesting when paired with the text’s intended audience. I’m still not sure whether or not it should be read as satire, and couldn’t find much additional info online for it.

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